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The dearth of available on-campus housing for first-year students has forced the University to seek creative alternatives to traditional housing by converting many previously non-residential spaces on campus into student housing, collectively comprising Unit 15.
The freshman residents of Unit 15 are experiencing quite a different dorm life from that of their peers. These 83 students are not organized into one cohesive unit, but are instead scattered all over campus, from the old mailroom in Faunce to the area where extra plates are kept under the V-Dub salad bar.
"We're really pulling out all the stops to find housing for everyone," Dean of Residential Life Marsha Plath told the Noser. "Above all else, we cannot admit defeat. Other universities in our position might build more student housing, but we aren't other universities. We're Brown and we're resourceful.
We work with what we've got, and what we've got is too many students and a perfectly good warm air vent that's being put to no good use. I view the creation of Unit 15 as a triumph, not a cop-out."
Despite the University's efforts, many students remain without proper housing. Plath was optimistic, and offered this piece of good news to all students still sleeping in Arnold Lounge on a body pillow: for Parents' Weekend, the University will guarantee very nice accommodations for all students.
Even those students whom the University has provided with housing face certain hardships. "It's hard to feel unified like the other units," said Lena Smith '11, one of Unit 15's RCs. "We don't get together for bonding activities like sex-ed jeopardy. The other Cs and I haven't even figured out where to hang the condoms yet."
"I don't know whether I can legitimately say that I live on Pembroke. That's been my main problem," said Matt Fletchley '12, one of the students living in the BioMed warm air vent. His roommate Alan Winfield '12 agreed that their living situation can cause difficulties. "We don't really have a fourth wall," Winfield told the Noser, "so privacy is kind of an issue. Especially with all those weird Med School students scurrying around. But," he was eager to point out, "it's really convenient to check ourselves out in those reflective windows in the BioMed building every moning. I like totally joined that Facebook group."
"Card access - that's the big issue with living here," said the third resident of the warm air vent, Noah Spokestein '12. "We don't have a door, so they didn't need to give us card access to any buildings. That means we can't even get into MoChamp Lounge or the V-Dub. . I've also had some trouble keeping random homeless guys out of my bed when it's been cold."
However, not all students are looking at the down sides. "I feel that the creation of Unit 15 really embodies the Brown experience - we aren't traditional, and we don't have to follow anybody else's rules," said optimistic student Cynthia Ellingston-Bay '12, resident of the newly refurbished lawn bordering the Walk between Angell and Olive, in an interview shortly before two tropical storms hit in three days. And, as Eric Denkerley '12, resident of the area under the awning outside the Bookstore, pointed out, "It could be worse. At least we aren't in Perkins."
