Branfordians up in arms over frosh housing

JULIA TIERNAN/YH GREAT SCHISM: Next year's Branford frosh counselors believe placing some of the class in Vanderbilt Hall would hamper class unity.

What do you think of this mess? Comment in Speak Your Mind. While Branford upperclassmen head to the Swing Space next fall, the Branford Class of 2003 will be divided between McClellan and Vanderbilt Halls on Old Campus.

But next year's freshman counselors are looking out for their frosh. They have already drafted a formal letter of protest and sent it to both the Branford Master and Dean, as well as Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead,
BR '68, GRD '72, and Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg. The letter, authored by counselor Caron Kim, BR '00, states, "Next year's freshman class will not have a tangible college. With Branford under renovation, the freshmen will not have a dining hall, library, or basement that will allow them to interact with each other and the Branford upperclassmen. We believe that splitting the freshman between McClellan and Vanderbilt will only aggravate this problem."

Counselor Seth Brown, BR '00, voiced the frustration behind the letter. "The Administration did not think this out beforehand, they gave us virtually no input, and this is not just a temporary situation," he said. He also predicted that this problem would worsen in the future, as upperclassmen from Berkeley and other residential
colleges demand more space than their colleges can
accommodate.

Before spring break, the Yale College Housing Council, chaired by Brodhead, made the decision to annex Berkeley sophomores, moving them into Durfee Hall, across the street from the college. As a result, the McClellan annex space, normally reserved for Jonathan Edwards and Trumbull upperclassmen, will house Branford freshmen next year. Next year's Branford frosh will also live in Entryway C of Vanderbilt Hall.

The pending benefits for the Branford Class of 2003 in moving into a newly renovated college precipitated the decision to split up the Branford freshman class instead of another college's. "If any people should bear the burden, it should be the ones with the best housing down the line," Associate Dean of Student Affairs John Meeske said. He also said of Berkeley sophomores and others affected by the Old Campus changes, "The Administration is extremely sensitive to Berkeley juniors, and as a result, all the other colleges are being shuffled around."

Brown disagreed with the idea of a fair trade-off between a newly renovated college and inconvenience for Branford freshmen. "We're just angry they didn't anticipate the long-term results," he said. "Maybe for Berkeley this whole move gives a certain degree of good. But the bad it precipitates for everyone else disproportionately outweighs the good."

"It seems like all of this was done to accommodate Berkeley," Kim said. "It just doesn't make sense because with this new arrangement, there are more people upset than satisfied with the changes. The decision was just really hard to swallow, especially because of the fact that this was all sprung on us without really any explanation."

Meeske pointed out that the housing dilemma of Branford freshmen and of others living on Old Campus stems not only from a newly renovated Berkeley but also from a larger freshman class. Yale College aims for a target of 5,225 enrolled students and with a large senior class graduating, the Admissions Office has to compensate. "The freshman class of 2002 comprises approximately 1,300 students," Meeske said. "Next year's Class of 2003 will have to swell to around 1,400 students." The Administration decided on the increase at a meeting several weeks ago among Brodhead, Provost Alison Richard, Associate Provost Lloyd Suttle, and Meeske.

Back to News...