<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Dear HCA,</span><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">As a follow-up from our HCA meeting last night, please see below some draft language for an email to Dean Ortiz regarding the <b>Site 4 Grad Housing Project </b>summarizing our position and concerns. Also attached below is the <b>Draft Renters Insurance Brochure</b> Information. If you have any comments or questions on either the Site 4 email or the Renter's insurance, please write to us at <a href="mailto:gsc-hca@mit.edu" target="_blank">gsc-hca@mit.edu</a></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Looking forward to your thoughts,</div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Huma </div><div style="font-size:12.8px">____________________________________________</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Dear Dean Ortiz,</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">George and I wanted to follow up with you regarding the Site 4 graduate housing. We have formed a consensus opinion among HCA and have also consulted with Eastgate Excomm. We believe that having a mixed floor plan where studio efficiencies would be located on the same floor with 1- and 2-bedroom units will cause quality-of-life issues for all residents. Traditionally, family and single housing has been segregated in MIT grad housing due to the different programmatic requirements of single vs. family populations. This was something that was addressed very early in 2015 as a key design criteria for this building. However, it seems that the <b>450 unit </b>allocation has been set as the overriding design criteria and due to the fulfillment of code requirements regarding the building mechanical systems layout, in order to fulfill that 450 unit number we have to sacrifice the equally important criteria of designing residential and common spaces that address the needs of different populations.</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Additionally, we believe as this issue was introduced to us at the very last minute during the 14th December 2015 Site 4 Design Meeting towards the end of the meeting, it was not presented to us in a timely fashion to allow any real consultation or deliberation of all the options. We would like to open up this question and re-examine all the options regarding the total number of units vs. floor layouts that address the needs of different populations. </div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">HCA and the Graduate Student Council is very excited to have a new graduate housing project, especially with the promise of 250+ efficiency units. However, we want to work with the administration to ensure that the design also addresses fundamental quality of life issues for the future graduate student residents and families. If this is not addressed now, it can lead to <u>chronic</u> complaints and concerns regarding noise, hallway traffic, different daily routines and use of common spaces.</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">We hope you will consider our position and present our concerns to the other Site 4 stakeholders and decision-makers.</div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Kind regards,</div><div style="font-size:12.8px">Huma & George</div></div>
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