While many students spent last Thursday anxiously waiting to learn their housing lottery numbers, some had already begun to seek other campus housing options such as apartments, culture houses, and Metcalf Hall's Bridge program. These units, which are less dependent on the lottery system, have experienced a larger pool of applicants this year because of the housing crunch both on and off campus.
Prospective culture house residents must submit applications - often before the lottery numbers are released - and undergo an interview process to be accepted for housing within the unit. While some houses experience a consistently small pool of applicants because they target a limited section of the Tufts community, demand for space at houses like the Jewish Culture House (Bayit), the Capen house, and the Arts Haus has grown over the past few years.
Capen House manager Alma Mends says her house, which provides living arrangements for African-American students, has attracted a wide array of applicants this year because of specific efforts by house members to reach out to the community. "We tried to let people know that we were here and that they have somewhere to come," Mends said.
While these efforts contributed to the increase in applicants, advisors believe the housing crunch is the biggest reason for the larger pool. A significant amount of sophomores, for example, apply to special interest houses with the simple intention of securing a place to live for their junior year.
"[Applicants are] interested in doing something related to African descent, but also, with the housing crunch on campus, they're interested in having a room," Capen House advisor Lisa Coleman said.
Latino Culture Unit advisor Ruben Salinas-Stern said that the housing shortage places a great pressure on students. "There's a great deal of stress on the part of students who don't know where they're going to live next year and it impacts them academically and socially," he said. Living in the Latino Culture house is a rewarding experience, said Salinas-Stern, "except when we have to deal with, 'do we give this person housing, or does the person live without any housing at all?'"
Houses like the Bayit have dealt with the influx of applicants by moving their deadlines forward this year to assure that prospective residents are indeed interested in the house and not simply applying because of their low lottery number.
Each of Tufts' 14 culture houses, which range in size from eight to 18 residents, is run by a faculty advisor and student managers. Each house caters to a particular community on campus, be it an ethnic, language, religious, or special interest group. Most are located in small, free-standing houses, but others, like the Rainbow House and Japanese Culture Unit, are contained within on-campus apartments.
The culture houses are a hub of cultural activity and provide programming for residents as well as the greater Tufts community.
"It's a unique place to live that offers experiences you probably couldn't get in any other situation," said senior Josh Weingram, who is a three-year Bayit resident. "It's the only place where you can be exposed to a certain culture in a lot of different aspects from different people all at once."
The Arts Haus attributes its popularity to its unique decor. "It's a really different atmosphere to live in," said junior Iris Halpern, a second-year resident. "It's really friendly, a lot more like a home, so a lot of people are attracted to that. There's a lot of activity going on in the house; it also offers alternative things to do on Friday night."
Other students, like freshman Ken Hamill, who will co-manage the Rainbow House next year, feel that the culture houses provide a more comfortable environment than traditional dorms.
"People are really interested in sharing commonalities," Hamill said. "That makes for a much more enjoyable living experience, when you know something already about all the other people and connect with them."
Both these and the Bridge Program focus on specific student interests, while the on-campus apartments allow students to experience more real-life housing situations. Formerly known as "co-ops," the units include kitchenettes and personal bathrooms that are maintained by the residents.
"It's just as if you lived off-campus, except that you live in University housing," Residential Life Coordinator Dean Gendron said.
An estimated 400 separate groups of students applied to live in one of Tufts' 61 on-campus apartments this year, making this option the most popular alternative housing choice. While apartment distribution depends on lottery numbers, students must submit applications for apartments days before the numbers are posted.
Unlike on-campus apartments, Metcalf's Bridge program experienced less demand this year for the 40 rooms available to upperclassmen.
The Bridge program, first introduced in 1993, provides a residential forum for students interested in enhanced discussion and increased faculty interaction. In previous years, the Bridge program weekly meetings were required, but this year, participation is no longer mandatory.
"We actually find that having the program move around and encouraging students to come without mandating attendance means that participation is as good if not better than it has ever been," Gendron said.
Sophomore Sarah Lawrence received a low lottery number, approached Residential Life for advice, and is now considering Metcalf as an option. "When housing couldn't give me an assurance that I would get on-campus housing, I was told to fill out a Metcalf application. For a lot of people that's not an ideal situation," Lawrence said. "My options are limited; I wouldn't even say they're options really; they're a forced alternative."
The program also eliminated the essay it previously included on the Bridge program's application, and prospective residents now need only complete a Bridge preference form to make them eligible for Metcalf's own lottery.
Students cite Metcalf's large rooms, central location, the Bridge program, and the range of class years of residents as the reasons they chose the dorm.
Metcalf resident Phil Erner says that students enjoy the community aspect of the small dorm. "From what I hear from everyone else, somebody living in Carmichael doesn't get to know half or a third of their dorm, like I have," he said. "I've definitely felt a strong sense of community between a large percentage of the residents here."
