ResLife,
We’re trying to understand, but you’re not making it easy.
The way you’re running operations appears to be unorganized and irresponsible, and that is the last thing we, as Bryant residents, need from your department. We’re talking about where we live. We don’t take this lightly, and we don’t want you to either.
From dysfunctional laundry rooms to weak water pressure, we aren’t always given the best amenities. But we’ve gotten over that. More serious issues have plagued the residents of Bryant University this year.
Students are being forced to live in rooms of three that were meant for only two. Rising seniors are being crammed into houses of seven that were built for six. And they’re not being offered the 20% discount that others are. You say it’s because the six-person townhouses have been converted to seven-person townhouses. Yet nothing has been done to change them. The forced double is smaller than every other double on campus. We know the square footage numbers look similar, but in reality this change is inconveniencing students who’ve been patiently waiting to live comfortably in a townhouse for three years. Even your staff feels there’s more you could do.
“ResLife needs to better align with the admissions office to make sure the residential living experience is equal to or hopefully better than other schools,” said one student. “Our school continues to be ranked as having some of the top programs and as we do better, more students want to attend Bryant. If we don’t change the number of students we accept, we know the trend of more students selecting Bryant will continue and our residential houses aren’t ready for that significant growth. Not to mention, why would you want to start the best four years of your life cramped in a room with two random people? The college transition is tough enough, and your room is supposed to be a safe space. The school doesn’t need any reason to make it any more difficult.”
Again, we’re trying to understand. We know each class has grown drastically in size, and keeping up with it is hard to do. There is a lack of adequate housing, but there is also a lack of planning and action. You had three years to develop a solution. And the best you could come up with was telling rising seniors they could only live in houses of seven or five, making them frantically search for an extra roommate or forcing them to drop a roommate.
Your students and staff aren’t taking your operations lightly either.
“As university students we deserve to be kept up to date about any housing logistics, issues, and changes,” said one Bryant student. “We deserve a comfortable living environment conducive to learning, socializing, and resting in. I would respect and understand ResLife’s decisions much more if they would communicate with residents more frequently to understand concerns and make decisions with student’s interests in mind.”
We ask that you plan ahead, take action, and be fair to your students and staff. We hope that you take our needs seriously, our words honestly, and our letter thoughtfully.
Sincerely,
Your Students & Staff