Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman proposed the idea of expanding the section of campus unofficially known as the "senior corridor," a move meant to sway seniors to stay on campus, during his visit to a Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate meeting last month.
But the administration has no concrete plans to enlarge the corridor in the near future.
Sophia Gordon Hall and Stratton Hall, located in close proximity to eachother on Talbot Avenue, will remain all-senior residences next year, but there is no plan yet to expand senior-specific housing to either Richardson Hall or the Latin Way apartments for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to Reitman.
"We're trying to attract seniors to want to live on campus instead of living off. We have a predominately first- and second-year residential community," Reitman told the Daily.
He added that the "lack of cohesiveness" in the junior class, which stems in large part from the fact that many juniors go abroad, contributes to many students' decisions to move off campus for senior year.
"It's beneficial to do everything we can to re-engage the upperclassmen, to get seniors to be engaged in the campus and be the leaders that seniority predicts they should be," Reitman said.
Last year, Stratton was renovated to transform all double-occupancy rooms into singles for upperclassmen. The kitchen was also renovated. This made Stratton "very popular," according to Reitman.
Reitman first mentioned the term "senior corridor" last February, proclaiming his hopes to create a social area for seniors in the Talbot Avenue region.
TCU President Neil DiBiase said that the idea originated with President Lawrence Bacow, who made it one of his goals when he first arrived at Tufts.
"I know that one of [Bacow's] major initiatives has been to bring seniors back to campus," DiBiase said. "We see a lot of schools kind of moving towards corridors or villages for classes."
Reitman, who spoke to the Senate about the idea on March 9, pointed to a lack in space affordability as a reason for the plan's halt next year. He cited the fact that Tufts will have large senior and sophomore classes, a challenge that he called "the perfect storm."
As for the following year, expanding the senior corridor will depend on how many students accept their admission to Tufts for the class of 2012. "Admissions is an anxious-making science," he said.
Senior Class President Michelle Paison supported the idea of expanding the Stratton-Sophia Gordon corridor. "I think any idea that brings the senior class together as a whole is excellent. What better way than giving housing to seniors?" she said.
Reitman agreed with Paison. "Overall, there are some good things going on. I wish we could be able to accommodate every student who wished to live on campus," he said, acknowledging that there will always be some people who prefer living off campus.
"We will never be at a point to require everyone to live on campus. I would love to be able to meet the demand for those who do want to live on campus. After that it's time for another dormitory," he said.
