Dear CT Editor,
I am writing in response to the article by Jamie Sokol on November 18th. As an alumni I enjoy the CT online and as a 1999 grad I was fortunate not to have been at the university while freshman housing was a part of the college experience. Though I was on a predominantly freshman hall in Sue B my first year some of the most enlightening experiences I had as a freshman were with upper-class hall mates & friends.
The first enlightenment was the first day the upper-class members arrived on campus. I came from a small town and a high school where class separation and school spirit was embedded. I dreaded having seniors on my hall…I knew what seniors like to do to freshman.
The open, forthright, and inclusive upper-class hall mates including my D’Lions amazed me instantly and I realized immediately that this place was different. It was not a place where you were judged by your year of graduation but by your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, interests, and passions. It was a place where you can stand on your own without the cliques or subjugation of high school. Moreover, I knew then it was the place for me and that this is my college home.
Jamie’s article brought to the forefront the perils I feared when I read of the decision to move to housing by class over integrated housing. The fear that the student body would be not one college community but segregated subsets based on birthright. I hope that ResLife will realize that communities and class pride can be built through better means and return to an atmosphere of academics, athletics, and adventure and away from childish cliques.
Sincerely,Eric Stearns ’99
