[UA] [DormCon] Update on Senior House and Pilot 2021
Yuge Ji
yji at mit.edu
Wed Jun 21 10:13:15 EDT 2017
TL;DR: Students and administrators are working hard to develop the future
of Senior House and the Pilot 2021 program in the best interest of
residents and MIT dorm culture as a whole. Keep reading for more details.
Hello everyone,
Over the past few days, you have probably heard information from many
different sources relating to the depopulation of Senior House
<https://thetech.com/2017/06/18/senior-house-depopulation> and the
introduction of a new program called Pilot 2021
<http://mitguidetoresidences.mit.edu/map/senior-house> in the building (if
not, read our take here
<https://thetech.com/2017/06/18/student-leadership-letter-pilot-2021>).
DormCon and the UA have been working together on the issue of preserving
the positive qualities of Senior House that have made it a home and a safe
haven to so many over the past century, as well as on helping to shape the
Pilot 2021 program into a successful and valuable part of dorm life.
Towards that goal, we want to thank the students from all across campus who
have put their time and energy into taking steps to guide Senior House and
Pilot 2021.Your energy will be what drives this program to its fullest
potential. And although we may not always agree, we appreciate Chancellor
Barnhart and VP for Student Life Nelson and their offices for working
tirelessly with us on making improvements to the current situation.
Information and context that we have received from Chancellor Cynthia
Barnhart and VP for Student Life Suzy Nelson
-
Pilot 2021 is a bit of a misnomer. It is intended to be a set of
residential programs for all students living in Senior House in Fall 2017,
some specifically targeted towards freshmen. The Chancellor has said
both to the Tech <https://thetech.com/2017/06/18/pilot-2021> and to us
in-person that there were, and are, no plans to implement a freshmen dorm
system.
-
Some components of the three programs that have been announced for Pilot
2021 are products of discussions between students and administrators.
-
The first program, career exploration and development, addresses the
desire for more student-faculty interaction and the persistent
problem that
the undergraduate student body often lacks the resources
necessary to make
an informed choice of major. These programs will be developed with input
from the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP) and other students
who have devoted significant time and energy to designing improvements to
the first year academic experience.
-
The second program, meal kits and a pantry, is a product of the New
Residences Working Group (NRWG), a DSL and student joint committee, which
is advising the design of the new dorm. Chancellor Barnhart and
VPSL Nelson
hope to use Pilot 2021 as a test run of the pantry program before
implementing it in the new dorm. The pantry program will also be open to
East Campus residents.
-
The third program, health and wellness, addresses the idea that
improving physical health can have a positive impact on emotional
wellbeing. This program does not intend to force residents of
Senior House
to exercise or become yoga enthusiasts, but it will make more of those
resources available to those who choose to utilize them.
-
Pilot 2021 was only recently conceptualized. It should be seen as a
scaffold that we build upon, not a complete plan for the future of Senior
House. It has broad goals, but few concrete plans for implementing
them--that is where we come in. Moving forward, we have been informed that
there will be student input--especially the input of the fall residents of
Senior House--in how these programs play out and what Pilot 2021 becomes.
-
In general, many of the more controversial aspects of Pilot 2021 have
been the result of a series of miscommunications regarding the vision and
goals of the program. Chancellor Barnhart and VPSL Nelson et al.
acknowledge that meal kits and career development are not community values
and they are not intended to supplant the positive core values held by the
Senior House community. However, they did not recognize that not explicitly
acknowledging those values amounts to replacing a vibrant and colorful
community with an artificial and sterile one.
-
The Resident Peer Mentor (RPM) program has been implemented in several
dorms on campus and is, by all accounts, a great success. RPMs are not
intended to replace GRTs or serve as a tool to police students.
-
Senior House will remain a cook-for-yourself community and the meal kit
program will be opt-in, and there were never plans to make the proposed
dining plan mandatory.
Agreements that we have settled on thus far
-
It is important for Senior House to remain a visible LGBTQ space and the
needs of LGBTQ students will remain a priority going forward. However, the
exact details of how to preserve this aspect of Senior House remain up in
the air.
-
Student input is important to this process, and the students who will be
living in Senior House in the fall will be engaged in the development and
direction of the program. Although we were not involved in the initial
announcement, we will be working with Chancellor Barnhart and VPSL Nelson
to implement an effective and transparent system for students to craft the
details of Pilot 2021.
-
There will be at least one current resident of Senior House working with
the administration to review applications to live in the dorm and provide
input on the application process. This person will help set the
expectations for the readmission process and guide the future of the
community.
-
A set of guidelines for what the readmission committee looks for in
students who apply will be sent to Senior House residents and transfers.
There will be a focus on retaining individuals who embody the positive
aspects of the Senior House community and are eager to guide it in the
right direction.
-
Fall residents of Senior House under the Pilot 2021 program will have
their own house government. This government will have the ability to decide
for itself what the values and goals of the community are, and its leaders
will have the same rights and privileges in discussing their concerns with
the administration as existing house governments in other dormitories
enjoy.
-
As of now it seems murals in individual rooms in Senior House will be
painted over before fall residents move in. However, no murals in the
hallways of Senior House will be painted over. Some of them may be
temporarily covered with canvas or another removable material and left up
to the discretion of new residents. Murals in suites remain up for debate.
Further action items that we hope to pursue
-
We will push for the readmission of all individuals who have not engaged
in the dangerous behaviors occurring in the dorm, as these individuals will
be crucial for maintaining the positive aspects of the community in Senior
House, such as its strong LGBTQ-affirming culture.
-
Returning residents and previously accepted transfer students should be
prioritized for residence in Senior House. The acceptance of residents and
transfers should be solely based on the merits of their application and not
limited by the number of available beds.
-
Residents, both new and returning, should lead the room assignment
process for fall rooming, as is done in every dormitory.
-
In addition to hallway murals, murals in suites should remain intact for
fall residents to preserve, alter, or remove as they see fit.
-
Just like in other dorms, there should be close involvement of residents
of Senior House under the Pilot 2021 program this fall in all decisions
affecting their community, including but not limited to the selection of
GRTs and other House Team members, pet and mural policies, and room
assignments.
-
The stated Senior House values of respecting differences, taking care of
each other, and individual freedom with communal responsibility should
remain as the pillars of the dorm, provided that the residents of Senior
House continue to find them to be applicable guiding principles. If
nourished, the positive aspects of the Senior House community will continue
to leave their mark on the landscape of MIT.
Next steps for all of us
The best path forward is to view Pilot 2021 as the next iteration of the
positive side of the Senior House community. We should be excited to guide
it and be critical of its results. The success of Senior House and the
Pilot 2021 program is contingent on all of us buying into the future of the
community by participating in its development and lending our support.
There are many incoming freshmen out there who really connected with the
core of what makes Senior House unique, and they will undoubtedly build for
themselves a place that embodies the very same values that have made the
community safe, strong, and forward-thinking for so long. Additionally, we
hope that the passion of all members of the Senior House community--both
those that will remain in the building and those that will move
elsewhere--will help guide this new generation in a positive direction.
By working together, we can grow and strengthen the diverse residential
communities that MIT has to offer. The lessons of acceptance and freedom
that Senior House has taught us all will not end with Pilot 2021; rather,
they will seek new life under our guidance.
Sincerely,
Sarah Melvin, UA President
Yuge Ji, DormCon President
Alexa Martin, UA Vice President
Allie Stanton, DormCon Vice President
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