Coming on the heels of the university's recent plans to better Tufts residential life with Stratton, this year's housing lottery was quite the disappointment, particularly for some of Tufts' rising sophomores, a group that has historically been, and is currently, guaranteed on-campus housing.
This year, due to an increased interest from upperclassmen, more rising sophomores than usual have been relegated to the waitlist.
This latest chapter in the unfolding saga of Tufts housing is another symptom of an ailing system.
Improvements to on-campus housing to draw upperclassmen are, of course, welcomed and appreciated, and necessary to foster a truly residential college community.
Unfortunately, this situation has caused the ORLL and its good intentions to trip over its feet mid-stride.
The housing lottery, far from random, seems much more like a game of musical chairs. Students must walk along to the tune anxiously, prepared to scramble, yet with no real control over the outcome - and very likely to find the seat taken out from under them.
There are solutions to this uneasy situation: pull up more chairs, or reserve the seating.
If sophomores are mandated to live in on-campus housing, then they should be given a greater opportunity to choose their accommodations.
Now, over 100 sophomores will be forced to settle for unsatisfactory rooms, many of them without their chosen roommates.
It is unfair that sophomores forced to live on campus should do so with so little control over such a fundamental part of their daily lives and their college experience.
Especially with two dormitories now specifically reserved for upperclassmen, there is no reason that enough rooms should not have been previously reserved for sophomores.
The current outcome of the lottery may have been anticipated to some extent due to the addition of these desirable dorms; we ask not for clairvoyance from the ORLL, but proper, thorough planning that anticipates problems. Then, we ask that the office shares that knowledge with students, who are directly affected.
The housing lottery simply did not go well this year. Despite the difficulties, more planning, or at least information, would certainly better the process.
It is unfortunate, and unnecessary, that rising sophomores must have this added worry souring the final weeks of their freshmen year.
The task of assigning housing to thousands of students is inherently complex, but as it stands, the system could benefit from more purposeful organization and a clarified process.
Tufts housing is undergoing changes that make organization difficult, but that shouldn't leave so many out in the cold.
