CU Meets Housing Needs

Cathedral Gardens' debut was just one of the highlights this year for undergraduate housing, as both Columbia and Barnard's housing departments added several new residential offerings. Although both institutions are always on the lookout to expand housing options as residential halls are almost always at their bursting points, they may wait to see how this year's additions play out in 2006-2007 before making any more major changes.

"I don't know that we're going to be looking for anything [new] for a while," said Annie Aversa, Barnard Director of Residential Life and Housing. "We'll see how things float this year."

Barnard had been in need of additional housing for a while, so when the opportunity to purchase the newly constructed Cathedral Gardens presented itself, the school jumped at the chance. In order to provide its students with guaranteed housing, Barnard had been renting rooms in the area from landlords such as the Manhattan School of Music and College Residence on 110th Street. But with space for 91 new students in Cathedral Gardens, Barnard will be able to relieve its financial burden by terminating the lease at MSM and perhaps giving up spaces at College Residence in the future.

Controversy, however, over Cathedral Gardens has seemed to be never-ending. Before this spring's housing lottery, some worried whether the dorm's distance from campus and concerns about the neighborhood's safety would keep seniors-the building's intended residents-from filling up the residence. A new Columbia shuttle stop and more frequent police patrols were added to the area to assuage concerns. Barnard Housing and Residential Life also hoped to encourage a large senior turnout by allowing seniors to pick into Cathedral Gardens suites individually.

The plan worked, but now many rising seniors are dissatisfied that in order to obtain an off-campus single for their final year at Barnard they had to pick into a suite of strangers.

"If it's just random people kind of living together, the [common] space will not be used as effectively," Victoria Baranov, BC '07, said. She went into her final housing lottery with three others hoping to get a suite of singles, but with their high lottery number, the group was forced to split into doubles in separate suites in Cathedral Gardens. "Essentially, we're planning on pulling out of housing and going to see what we can do," Baranov said.

Concerns over Cathedral Gardens may presage a senior exodus from Barnard housing. While it remains to be seen whether many more will drop out, about 150 seniors have already elected to live elsewhere. And if many more opt out, Barnard may have to revise its senior selection policy once again.

Whether the dorm's population remains predominantly seniors is still up in the air, as is the actual safety of the neighborhood for its new female students.

"I feel that the neighborhood is safe," said Danielle Wolfe, BC '07 and a future Cathedral Gardens resident adviser. Others are still hesitant because of the building's proximity to Morningside Park.

But other students aren't quite as confident. "It might be a little bit dangerous" because the neighborhood may harbor bad feelings toward Columbia, said Molly McGraw, BC '08. "It's not the same as living on Broadway."

The residential hall's distance from campus sets a new precedent for how far the college, and perhaps Columbia as a whole, is willing to stretch to keep its promise of guaranteed housing. Although some students are complaining, it may be the only feasible option for the future.

Columbia may not have added a brand new residence hall this year, but it too expanded its housing stock. This fall, 30 students in two special interest communities, the year-old Symposium House and the new Inquiry House, will find homes in two recently renovated brownstones on 114th Street between Broadway and Riverside Drive.

"I think the housing is fantastic," said Susanna Berger, CC '07 and the 2006-2007 RA for both brownstones. "It's a really good, non-stressful way for students to expand their academic and extracurricular interests."

Columbia was feeling the housing crunch too. With only seven empty beds at the beginning of this academic year, an addition had to made, according to Scott Wright, director of Housing and Dining. While the administration has decided that only special interest communities will be housed there for the time being (in order to complement the distinctiveness of the brownstones), in the future they may become housing options open to all undergraduates.

With the addition of four new special interest communities this year though, the popularity of such communities seems to be on the rise-and the Columbia's housing department is willing to support them. While the responsibility has traditionally fallen to students to create a special interest community, the administration took the initiative to create last year's Inquiry House. Students in these communities currently live in some of the most coveted housing-like East Campus townhouses-and now, brownstones a block away from campus. And with the housing lottery becoming even more competitive this year-especially for juniors-joining a special interest community may seem like the best way to ensure one's housing of choice.