Letter to Students

To Whom it May Concern:

With the recent news that Memorial University is drastically altering
the Residence landscape in Paton College and Burton's Pond, a group
of students on residence have decided to band together to fight what
we believe to be a near-sighted, inane, and utterly unnecessary move
on the part of Memorial University and MUN Housing.

The plan is, to reiterate the words of Christine Burke in the latest
MUN Housing press release, to convert 68% of Paton College to first-
year only spots, and 50% of Burton's Pond. This may not seem like a
lot, but let's break down the numbers. There are 1500 total spots in
residence at MUN- 988 in Paton College, and 512 in Burton's Pond.
With half of available spots on Burton's Pond going to first-years,
this equates to 216 available spots for first years on Burton's
Pond. 68% of Paton College reserved for first years only leaves 316
spots in total for returning students in Paton College. Subtract
from this number the guaranteed spots offered to each house's
executive and staff (90 total,) this leaves only 226 spots for
returning students not in Executive or Staff. Think about that for a
moment.

What is central to this debate is the lack of insight on the part of
Memorial University. From all indications, this decision has been
avoided for years by MUN Housing, despite mounting pressure from the
University to admit more first-years as an obvious means of
increasing the profile of Memorial on the international and national
stage. However, it now appears MUN Housing has acquiesced, and we
now face the prospect of being removed from what we originally
believed a safe place for us as long as we maintained our academic
standards. Essentially, Memorial University has betrayed the loyal
students who have donated some of the best months and years of their
lives to the betterment of the University, all in the name of profits.

Rumblings have been going around that the rate for rooms next year
will go up, and not at the rate of inflation either. What this
implies is that this move is only for financial gain- essentially,
the University is viewing prospective students with dollar signs in
their eyes, and failing to see that they are losing what is an
integral part of the residence experience. Seniors help make what is
an amazing and unforgettable experience, and to remove them from the
equation is to lessen the experience for all. Without the guidance
and tutelage of older students, first-year students will ultimately
not get all they can out of their single year in residence. But of
course, as we have seen time and time again, the University
apparently cares little for the needs of its students.

To be blunt, we feel the university has clearly overestimated the
attractiveness of both Burton's Pond and Paton College. Correct us
if we're wrong, but it's rather difficult for new students to feel
excited about living in a cockroach-infested and dilapidated
apartment with another first-year and two seniors who may still be
jaded and bitter about losing their two former senior roommates to
bureaucratic ineptitude and a lack of empathy on the part of the
Board of Regents and the other higher-ups in Memorial University.

There is absolutely no evidence of a coherent or cohesive strategy on
the part of the University to implement these unrealistically
complicated plans. The University has not decided how returning
students will be allocated to rooms, it has not determined the
pricing schemes for next year, and it has not conceived how a house
(specifically dealing with Paton College) is expected to manage when
the ratio of seniors to first-years is worse than 1:2. There is
absolutely no indication from Memorial that they have thought anymore
about this plan beyond salivating at the thought of increased
revenue. However, we feel that on this issue, despite the dancing
dollar signs reverberating in the mind of Dr. Meisen, the University
reveals particular incompetence.

We believe that incoming students will be deterred from making a long
stay in Memorial University due to the lack of available housing
beyond first year. The lack of credible and sustainable housing, in
actuality, erodes Memorial University's credibility both within
Canada, and when it concerns international students. One of the most
effective means of advertising for any university is word of mouth-
and not, as the University would lead you to believe, those oft-
encountered silhouettes and a new brand redesign, which drew funding
away from the building of a new residence- a concrete and clear plan
to alleviate the funding shortage. How does Memorial expect a
positive vibe to emanate from the lips of former residents if they
were unceremoniously dumped from previously guaranteed rooms in the
vain search for more money?

This goes much further than our own self-interest. We believe that
this move by the university will undoubtedly detract from the
experience for all future residents. This destroys a long and proud
history, especially in Burton's Pond, which has been a bastion for
senior students since induction. The dynamic of all aspects of
residence life will be indelibly altered if this move is prematurely
implemented by the university.

This is, essentially, what the debate revolves around. The
University, seeking more money and greater prestige in the Canadian
university community, is seeking to deprive students who are willing
and have already paid the university a great deal of money to stay in
residence. We are being betrayed, and it is imperative upon students
to take action against this plan. Although we do not resign
ourselves to this fate, it would be much more tolerable and
acceptable if the change were not as drastic and abrupt as this plan
implies. A well-planned and gradual implementation of this plan to
research the possible unforeseen side-effects is essential if
Memorial wishes to implement change at all, and at all points along
the way, students must be actively involved. This is the prime
missing piece of this enormous and superfluously elaborate jig-saw
puzzle.

We urge all students to become active. Because it is inherently true
that residents have very few allies outside of residence itself, we
must regain an active voice. Lobby your local MHA, both here and at
home. Write the Premier and implore him to intervene. Talk to city
councilors, faculty members, and write letters to the members of the
Board of Regents, the Senate, and our university president, Dr.
Meisen. We cannot let this issue fade into the background, and we
cannot let our residences be taken from us. We urge you all to be
proactive, and to join in with peaceful yet aggressive protest and
discourse. We will not take this lying down, and we will not lose
our residence.

- Signed,

Society of Active Residents- SOAR