Housing Guide 2022

Housing Guide 2022

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THIS ISSUE'S TEAM ALESSANDRA PINTADO-URBANC President PIA SINGH Executive Editor JONAH CHARLTON DP Editor-in-Chief

TORI SOUSA News Editor EMI TUYẾTNHI TRẦN News Editor DELANEY PARKS Assignments Editor SOPHIE APFEL Copy Editor

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TYLER KLIEM Design Editor

JESSE ZHANG Photo Editor ASAAD MANZAR Opinion Editor BECKY LEE Deputy Design Editor CALEB CRAIN Deputy Design Editor ALICE CHOI Deputy Design Editor LILIAN LIU Deputy Design Editor ALLYSON NELSON Deputy Copy Editor DEREK WONG Opinion Photo Editor ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL News Photo Editor CHARLOTTE BOTT Copy Associate TIFFANY PARK Copy Associate

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A breakdown of on-campus housing deadline

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$238 million Quad renovation will tackle sink removals, elevator installations, single-use bathrooms

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Current Radian residents left with questions following Penn's leasing of the building

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A guide to off-campus housing at Penn

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Developers are planning a new 34-story building close to Penn's campus

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Campus Apartments plans to construct new headquarters at 41st and Walnut streets by 2026

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Program communities offer students a chance to connect with others who share their interests

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OPINION | Penn’s leasing of The Radian hurts, not helps

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OPINION | Spring Fling needs the Quad

Considering living on campus next year? Here are your options.

HOUSING GUIDE

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'Know what works for you': Upperclassmen offer advice on navigating housing

OPINION | The time to unionize is now

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The room selection application will open for all undergraduate students on Jan. 18 JESSICA WU Contributing Reporter

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A breakdown of on-campus housing deadlines

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HOUSING GUIDE

DESIGN BY ALICE CHOI

The application process to live in on-campus housing for the 20232024 academic year will open at the beginning of November. Here are all of the key dates and deadlines you will need to know, according to Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger. Keep reading for a run-down of the living options available for upperclassmen.

The form to indicate interest in

on-campus housing for current sophomores, juniors, and seniors graduating in December 2023 opens in MyHomeAtPenn on Nov. 1 and closes on Nov. 21. Completing the application informs Residential Services that a student intends to complete the spring semester’s room selection process and gives them an advantage for room selection timeslots, but it does not commit a student to housing until they apply in the spring.

The room selection application will open for all undergraduate students in MyHomeAtPenn on Jan. 18 and will close on Feb. 7.

Students interested in living in a program community must apply by Jan. 27.

Program communities offer a shared living space and special programming for students to connect with peers who have similar cultures, lifestyles, or interests. Some

examples of upperclass program communities include the Jewish Cultural Studies Program and Front Row Theatre and the Arts. A full list of program communities can be found on the Penn College Houses & Academic Services website.

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors can indicate that they wish to continue living in the same college house next year during the Return to House period.

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Upperclassmen share their advice on applying for on-campus housing Here are three pieces of advice from upperclassmen on navigating the on-campus housing process SOPHIA POWELL Staff Reporter

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Students studying in Hill College House.

The housing process involves many important decisions: where you want to live, whom you want to live with, and what kind of room you want. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to upperclassmen who have words of advice for students going through the process.

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3 Plan ahead and get organized Fishman urged students to plan far in advance and talk to the group of people they want to live with about their priorities for housing.

“You want to figure out where you see yourself living and also who you want to live with so that you make sure you are organized and ready to go into the process of actually requesting the housing on time,” Fishman said.

For current first years, Fishman also recommended that they take note of their timeslot and make sure they are ready with a list of their first choices and backups.

“Make sure you make use of your timeslot, or else you most likely will not get the housing you want,” Fishman said.

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Communicate about living styles College senior Bryan Alvarez-Carcamo explained that communication is the most important attribute in a successful living situation.

“I really think that communication is probably the key to a successful living situation and that it is important to room with a group that you know fairly well, but don’t room with your best friends because it gets complicated when issues arise,”

Alvarez-Carcamo said. “It becomes personal versus if you are not that close with them, then you can distance yourself from that person without it hurting that much.”

Alvarez-Carcamo also stressed how personal routines are an important factor when choosing a roommate.

“Make a game plan in terms of what the day-to-day is going to look like. Like, the scheduling of who’s cleaning, who’s taking out the trash, and showering times,” he recommended.

College senior Jeffrey Fishman echoed Alvarez-Carcamo’s sentiments. He said that when picking a roommate, it is important to consider habits.

“It is important to consider a lot of things when you are deciding whether you want to live with someone or not, so not just if you are compatible, but think about your sleep schedule, eating schedule, how clean you want the apartment to be,” Fishman said. “Setting those standards earlier is definitely a good idea to have when thinking about living with people.”

HOUSING GUIDE

Do your research Nursing junior Monai Thompson recommended visiting different rooms in different college houses to get a feel for each house. This advice, she said, also applies to sophomores who are considering moving off campus for their junior year.

“Definitely do as much research as you can because I feel like every college house is different, and they have something else to offer. You won’t know which college house fits you until you do your research,” Thompson said.

Thompson added that it is important to consider proximity to your classes and your financial aid situation. She recommends reaching out to upperclassmen friends and speaking to them about their current living situation.

“You need to know what works for you as a student and you as a person when making your decision,” Thompson said.

The renovation will be the first major project in the Quad since 2000 KOMAL PATEL Senior Reporter

After Penn recently announced a plan to lease The Radian for two years while the Quad undergoes major renovations, The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with several officials from the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services to break down the details and updates about the process.

This will be the first major renovation since 2000 to the Quad, which is over 100 years old. The initial

budget for the renovation was $200 million, but since then the budget has increased to $238.15 million to cover chimney work and normal inflation, according to Director of Design and Construction John Zurn. This adjusted amount does not include the costs of leasing The Radian.

The three college houses that comprise the Quad will be renovated one at a time, with Riepe being the first, Ware second, and FisherHassenfeld third. The timeline has changed slightly, with renovations now scheduled to last roughly 15 months per house, meaning the entire project will be completed in 2026, a year earlier than was initially announced.

Renovations in Riepe will last from May 2023 to August 2024, in Ware will last from May 2024 to

August 2025, and in Fisher-Hassenfeld will last from May 2025 to May 2026.

Renovations will include the removal of sinks in all bedrooms, two new elevators and a LimitedUse-Limited-Application lift for increased accessibility, and more single-use bathrooms.

The two currently existing elevators will be replaced, and the new elevators will also make larger lounges more accessible, according to University Architect Mark Kocent.

He added that the creation of more single-use bathrooms will mean that some bedrooms currently surrounding bathrooms will be consolidated into the bathroom space instead.

However, no more than 50 beds will be lost in this transition, and there

will still be more than 1,400 beds in the Quad.

“There were a number of bedrooms lost to make the bathrooms all-gender. Some were lost for utility infrastructure, and some were made to make the building more equitable in terms of lounges,” Kocent said.

All the bathrooms in the Quad will be updated, but not all will become single-use bathrooms. They will, however, “feel more single-use,” according to Kocent, with almost floor-to-ceiling doors in the stalls to make them feel more “private.”

All bathrooms will have the “potential” to be gender neutral with this layout according to Senior Associate Director of Building Operations Paul Forchielli.

“Sometimes in the past, halls have made those calls. Every

bathroom will have the potential to be completely gender-neutral now,” Forchielli said.

The renovation of Stouffer College House was announced at the same time as the Quad renovations, and that process has already begun.

Most of the demolition in Stouffer has been completed, according to Zurn, and he doesn’t anticipate running into any issues with the rest of the project.

Stouffer had not been renovated since it was built, and the main goal of the renovation was to both update bedrooms and bathrooms and to make it more accessible.

“It was never fully accessible inside. The next step will be taking out some of the concrete steps and putting all the ramps in pouring concrete,” Forchielli said.

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HOUSING GUIDE

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$238 million Quad renovation will tackle sink removals, elevator installations, single-use bathrooms

PHOTO BY MARIJA WESTFALL

The Quad is expected to undergo renovation for the next three years.

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Current Radian residents left with questions following Penn’s leasing of the building

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

The Radian on Sept. 22, 2022.

Students currently living in The Radian have the option to renew their lease, but they must go through the Penn

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HOUSING GUIDE

JASPER TAYLOR Staff Reporter

After Penn announced that it would be leasing The Radian for on-campus student housing to accommodate renovations in the Quad, current residents say they are worried about rising rent rates and housing policy changes as a result.

The Penn Board of Trustees voted on Sept. 22 to lease The Radian, an off-campus apartment

complex, as student housing to facilitate renovations in the Quad over the next three years, starting August 2023. Current Radian residents have the option to renew their lease, but they must go through Penn to do so.

Students currently living in The Radian expressed confusion and concern about Penn’s leasing of the off-campus apartment complex.

Engineering junior Helena Zhang is currently living in a fourbedroom apartment suite with three roommates. She said that the group’s original plan was to renew their lease at the end of the year, but Penn’s plan to lease The Radian could pose a financial barrier to current residents.

“If Penn is actually going to rent out The Radian, the price might go up from when we signed the lease, so one of our roommates might

not be able to stay with us,” Zhang said.

Various college houses within the Quad will be closed for renovations from May 2023 to May 2026. During this time, first-year students who would have lived in the Quad will instead be placed into one of Penn’s four-year college houses.

Upperclass students will be able to select The Radian as a housing option this spring semester during the housing selection process.

Housing in The Radian through Penn will cost $15,418 per academic year — the same as Penn’s current higher-cost housing option, Doug Berger, executive director of business services, previously told the DP. Penn’s decision to lease The Radian may force some students to reconsider their housing plans next

year, but some say they are still waiting to learn more about how this decision affects their chances at renewing their lease.

Zhang said that she and her roommates, as well as other Radian residents they know, are wondering how the renewal process will change now that Penn will lease the complex.

“We want to know, if Penn were to rent out The Radian, how the process will be,” Zhang said. “Do people who currently live in The Radian get priority to renew, or are we going to be thrown in the pool with everyone else?”

College junior Kyle Huang, who lives in a four-bedroom suite in The Radian, echoed Zhang’s sentiments. He added that he is concerned about whether Penn will honor residents’ existing leases. Unlike on-campus

residents, who must move out by the end of May, Huang’s lease with The Radian is set to expire in July.

College senior Angela Lao, who also lives in a four-bedroom apartment suite with three roommates, said she was concerned about the future of the building when Penn takes over. Lao said that some residents are considering not returning after learning that Penn would begin leasing it, starting the next academic year.

She echoed concerns about the increase in pricing under Penn ownership, and said that she has many questions about how the building will function as an oncampus dorm.

“I feel like the pricing for housing in general for residents might be a concern,” Lao said. “Oncampus housing is relatively more expensive.”

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A guide to off-campus housing at Penn Sophomores and juniors can choose from a variety of options for the next year with a wide range of amenities and prices George Botros Contributing Reporter

The Chestnut LOCATED AT 3720 CHESTNUT ST..

The Chestnut is a new 30-story apartment building constructed in 2020 with close proximity to campus. It also has the most expensive starting price per square foot on this list.

Rent: Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments — starting at $2,317/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 486 to 1186 sq. ft.

Amenities: Rooftop pool, co-working space, fitness center, paid parking garage, game room, in-unit washer and dryer, kitchen appliances Pet Friendly? Yes, with a monthly fee and conditions Walk to Campus: Six minutes

PHOTO BY LILIANN ZOU

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Arrive University City LOCATED AT 3601 MARKET ST. Arrive University City is a 28-story building constructed in 2016. It has many dining options nearby, including Dunkin’ and Jimmy John’s.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

Rent: Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments — starting at $2,317/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 486 to 1186 sq. ft.

Amenities: Rooftop pool, co-working space, fitness center, paid parking garage, game room, in-unit washer and dryer, kitchen appliances Pet Friendly? Yes, with a fee and conditions Walk to Campus: Seven minutes

The Mason on Chestnut LOCATED AT 3701 CHESTNUT ST. The Mason was built in 1969 and has 409 units on 14 stories.

Rent: Studio and one-bedroom apartments — starting at $1,350/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 275 to 530 sq. ft.

Amenities: Study lounges, fitness center, media room, basketball court, in-unit washer and dryer, kitchen appliances with a monthly fee Pet Friendly? No Walk to Campus: Six minutes PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

Luna on Pine 10 HOUSING GUIDE

LOCATED AT 400 S. 40TH ST. Luna on Pine is a five-story apartment building constructed in 2018.

PHOTO BY DEREK WONG

Rent: Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments — starting at $1,385/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 400 to 800 sq. ft.

Amenities: Co-working spaces, fitness center, media room, game area, secured bike room, keyless entry, in-unit washer and dryer, kitchen appliances Pet Friendly? Yes, with a one-time fee and conditions Walk to Campus: Two minutes

Domus LOCATED AT 3411 CHESTNUT ST. Domus is an eight-story apartment building built in 2007. It is a popular choice for Penn students due to its close proximity to campus.

Rent: One- to three-bedroom apartments — starting at $3,012/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 793 to 1,635 sq. ft.

Amenities: Pool, private study rooms, fitness center, paid parking, smart home features, in-unit washer and dryer, kitchen appliances Pet Friendly? Yes, with one-time fee, monthly fee, and conditions Walk to Campus: Four minutes

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A guide to off-campus housing at Penn

PHOTO BY LILIANN ZOU

Hamilton Court LOCATED AT 101 S. 39TH ST. Hamilton Court dates back to 1901. In 2016, it underwent major renovations, and earlier this year, it was sold for $87 million to new management.

The Axis LOCATED AT 20 S. 36TH ST. The Axis features resident advisors and social events, and the on-site Axis Pizza Cafe & Salad Bar.

Rent: Single and double room units — starting at $800/ mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 252 to 360 sq. ft.

Amenities: Kitchen appliances, fitness center, laundry room, movie theater, game room Pet Friendly? No Walk to Campus: Four minutes

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Rent: One- to five-bedroom apartments — starting at $1,215/mo.

Floor Plans: Units range from 600 to 1,780 sq. ft.

Amenities: Pool, outdoor kitchen, study lounge, fitness center including yoga studio, laundry room, kitchen appliances Pet Friendly? Yes Walk to Campus: Three minutes

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Lauder College House

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Gregory College House

Du Bois College House

Stouffer College House

JESSICA WU Contributing Reporter Sophomores are required to live on campus as part of Penn’s Second Year Experience, while juniors and seniors have the option to live on campus if they choose to.

The Radian Due to renovations in the Quad, The Radian, an off-campus apartment complex, will be a new addition to the housing application

Rodin College House for upperclass students this spring. It will house around 460 students, and every room in The Radian includes full kitchens and washers and dryers.

Gutmann College House The recently built Gutmann College House — renamed from New College House West in honor of Penn's eighth president Amy Gutmann — houses around 430 residents in suites ranging from two to

Lauder College House Lauder College House, known for its dining cafe that serves chef-curated dinner specials, is a four-year community home to 344 total students, including 92 first years. Students live in suitestyle rooms ranging from two to six people, each suite having one or two bathrooms, a flat-screen TV, and builtin shelving. Other amenities include a library, meditation room, fitness room, dining pavilion, and private courtyard.

Lauder is located near 34th and Walnut streets.

Gregory College House Gregory College House is a four-year community comprised of two buildings:

Van Pelt Manor and Class of 1925. The residence features suite-style rooms with singles, doubles, and quads, with facilities such as a greenhouse, film screening room, piano lounge, and yoga studio. The 241 residents, including 52 first years, can join one of four Language Houses that host international dinners.

Gregory is located near 39th and Spruce streets.

Du Bois College House Housing 159 students, including 43 first years, Du Bois College House is a four-year residence that provides a community space for Black students on campus.

In addition to suites ranging from singles to quads, Du Bois also offers common kitchens, a computer room, fitness rooms, a library, and lounges. The college house, which holds traditions such as Senior Toast and Thanksgiving Dinner, is located between 39th and 40th streets.

Stouffer College House Stouffer College House is a four-year community made up of Mayer Hall and Stouffer Hall. Mayer Hall features apartment-style rooms with kitchens and private bathrooms.

PHOTOS BY JESSE ZHANG, OSCAR VASQUEZ, MATTHEW SCHWARTZ, SOPHIA ZHU, & AMELIA SHARPE

HOUSING GUIDE 13

High Rises Three 24-floor high-rise apartment buildings on the west side of Penn’s campus are available for upperclassmen.

Harnwell College House, Harrison College House, and Rodin College House each occupy around 775 residents and offer apartment-style layouts ranging from one to four bedrooms. All rooms have private baths, while some also have kitchens.

The high rises feature lounges on each floor, laundry rooms, and music practice rooms. Other facilities include rooftop study lounges, a dance studio, computer labs, a movie screening room, a library, and a game room, depending on the specific high-rise building. The high rises are located along Locust Walk near 39th and 40th streets.

six people. While Gutmann does not have private kitchens for each suite, it contains several shared kitchens, a dining cafe, a coffee bar, a campus green space, a meditation room, and a tinker space, in addition to the amenities also provided by the high rises.

Gutmann also houses Quaker Kitchen, a dining facility that offers students a restaurantstyle dinner experience five nights a week. The house is located near 40th and Walnut streets.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

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For first years, sophomores, and juniors, there are nine on-campus housing options, including The Radian

12 HOUSING GUIDE

The Radian

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Considering living on campus next year?

Here are your options.

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Developers are planning a new 34-story building close to Penn’s campus The building will include 236 individual apartments and 127 group living units EVA NEE Senior Reporter

Developers are planning a new 34-story building near Penn’s campus on Chestnut Street that will contain over 360 units for individual apartments and group living.

The building — which will be located at 3615 Chestnut Street — will have 363 units and be named The Mark at Philadelphia. Of the total units, 236 units will be used as individual apartments and 127 units will be used for group living.

The building will also have 70 parking spaces and 96 bicycle stalls, Rising Real Estate reported.

The building will be constructed on

A 34-story tower has been planned to be built at 3615 Chestnut Street.

what is currently a surface parking in the heart of University City. The building’s pedestrian entrance will be on Chestnut Street, and the parking entrance will be on Ludlow Street.

Made up of stacked stone and metal and precast panels, the exterior of The Mark will be composed of different shades of blue and gray. The neighboring buildings will include the existing Ralston House and a church.

According to Rising Real Estate, The Mark is using a low-income housing bonus to build an additional 250% in floor area ratio. No permit has yet been issued for the construction of the building.

The BKV Group and Landmark Properties are the architects and developers of the project, respectively. Landmark Properties is planning to construct a similar project to be completed in 2024, next to the University of California, Los Angeles.

Campus Apartments proposes new apartments, headquarters at 41st and Walnut The project will require leveling two residential buildings already owned by Campus Apartments, including the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house GABRIEL STEINBERG Contributing Reporter

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

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The new Campus Apar tments project will require leveling two residential buildings already owned by Campus Apartments, including the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house.

Campus Apartments is planning to open a new headquarters building featuring 136 new residential units and office space at 41st and Walnut streets in 2026.

David Adelman, the CEO of Campus Apartments — which provides housing for many Penn students who live off

campus — wrote in an emailed statement that the next steps for development will be entitlement and demolition, which is currently planned to begin in 2024. The project will require leveling two residential buildings already owned by Campus Apartments, including the Alpha Epsilon

Pi fraternity house.

When asked for comment on the development, Heidi Wunder, the assistant director for Communications of Facilities & Real Estate Services, directed The Daily Pennsylvanian to Campus Apartments.

While the details of the living space

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Existing Mark properties also serve as student housing and are located in Arizona, Texas, and Georgia.

“The Mark is a luxurious student community designed for the ultimate offcampus living experience,” according to the The Landmark’s website. “With custom-designed furniture packages and first-class amenities, our residents are met with a high quality of life that is a mark above the rest.”

— such as the distribution of apartment types — have not been finalized, the building is planned to contain retail space and the company’s corporate headquarters, according to Adelman. Amenities will include fitness facilities and shared study spaces.

The living space will include studios as well as one-, two-, and three-bedroom units with a private bathroom per bedroom.

Chair of the Spruce Hill Community Association Zoning Committee Barry Grossbach told The Philadelphia Inquirer that “students are no longer interested in living with 10 other people in a house with two bathrooms.”

The project is not planning on using Philadelphia’s zoning bonuses that would exchange greater height and density in exchange for including more affordable housing and open space. The building will consist of a maximum of 162,000 square feet of space and be 10 to 11 stories tall.

Adelman, who is also involved in the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena in Center City near Chinatown, told the Inquirer the company does not want the project to impact the townhomes located to the immediate south by taking on the zoning bonus.

He added that Campus Apartments is very aware of its place in the community.

“Our headquarters have been in University City since 1958,” Adelman wrote. “We wanted to stay true to our Philadelphia roots and remain in the city, specifically the University City neighborhood.”

Program communities allow groups of students in the same program to reside on the same floor of a dormitory DIAMY WANG Contributing Reporter

in Management and Technology.

College first year and member of the Casa Hispanica program — one of the College House Course Communities — Erika Kishino is an intermediate Spanish speaker. According to the CHAS website, the Casa Hispanica community is a part of the Modern Languages Program, based in Gregory College House, and helps students of varying fluency levels develop their proficiency in Chinese, French, German, or Spanish.

“I think one thing that’s good is that you get to know other people in your college house,” Kishino said. “And in the Spanish house, there aren’t that many people fully enrolled that come every time, so we get to know them pretty well.”

Although the French language component of the Modern Languages Program, Maison Française, is not offering a credit option this semester, College first year and program member Sergio Carballido appreciates the level of immersion the program offers.

“I think students could have a really good experience in belonging to these types of programs, especially because it

allows them to practice more language,” Carballido said. “I think that, in general, something I’ve noticed the language courses here [at] Penn are missing is speaking practice.”

Miraya Gesheva, a College first year, is a member of the Film Culture Program in Gregory College House, and is opting to take two half credits over two semesters. Both Kishino and Gesheva noted that while there is a core group of people who are consistently involved with the program community, students who are not official members can also participate in its activities.

“When I go — because I’ve been to a couple [movie screenings] — I see familiar faces that go to many films, but there are random people as well,” Gesheva said. “It’s not binding if you’re not taking the half credit.”

Student Designed Communities are also an option for upperclassmen to facilitate existing connections and create new ones. Applications for SDCs are accepted annually, according to CHAS. The East Asian Media & Culture program, located on the fifth floor of Lauder

College House, was created by a pre-existing group of friends.

“We decided to start this cultural community because most of us kind of relate to it, and we all have some background in East Asian culture,” College sophomore and EAMC founding member Ben Lin said.

Lin cited a greater degree of freedom in event planning and budget allocation as benefits of having a student-led community as opposed to one organized by CHAS and faculty, but added that the freedom has some drawbacks.

“I think it definitely took a little bit more time [to be organized], being completely student-run,” Lin said. “But we have some people who stepped up and are taking charge.”

Lin and Carballido agreed that the events hosted by program communities would benefit from increased advertisement in order to attract students with similar interests.

“The [hardest] thing is to make people know about the program and make them do the first step of going there,” Carballido said.

HOUSING GUIDE 1 5

For Penn undergraduates living on campus, program communities are an option to connect with students who share similar interests.

Program communities, a category that includes Student Designed Communities and Course Communities, allow groups of students in the same program to reside on the same floor of a dormitory. These communities encapsulate themes from “Perspectives in Humanities” to “Women in Computer Science.” In order to participate, students must fill out an additional part of the on-campus housing application and are accepted with varying levels of selectivity, depending on the program.

Course Communities comprise two different categories: Penn Course Communities, which encompass a full academic program and often a specific degree, and College House Course Communities, which generally offer course credit in conjunction with a livinglearning community on a designated residential floor. Popular Penn Course Communities include the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business and the Jerome Fisher Program

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

King’s Court English College House is home to several program communities at Penn.

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Program communities offer students a chance to connect with others who share their interests

The Quad, the oldest dormitories on Penn’s campus, was originally built in 1895. Penn recently announced its renovation, which will take place over the next three years. The Daily Pennsylvanian takes a look at some images of key dormitories and architecture around Penn’s campus in the Penn Archives Digital Image Collection, and what they look like today.

HILL COLLEGE HOUSE

BY JESSE ZHANG

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In Photos: Penn Dorms Then and Now

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Hill College House in 1965 and 2018.

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The Quadrangle in 1905 and 2022.

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The High Rises in 1971 and 2022.

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Penn’s leasing of The Radian hurts, not helps ISABELLA’S IMPRESSION | Penn’s leasing of The Radian for the upcoming three years negatively impacts the current tenants and incoming class

P

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022 PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

The Radian on on Oct. 12, 2022.

than builds community. While The Radian has study rooms and a fitness center, the building was not constructed with the intention of providing a community to the degree that on-campus housing intends to do, with its central location on campus, copious student lounges, and closely located dining options.

While first-year students are not going to be living in The Radian, the successive shutting down of Riepe College House, Ware College House, and Fisher-Hassenfeld College House over three years will require some students to be placed in fouryear college houses. These include Gregory College House, Stouffer College House,

and Lauder College House.

I felt isolated my first year at Penn, but I at least had the solace of living with other students in my same year, who faced the same struggles of adjusting to a new environment while trying to find community.

Living in four-year housing strips those who are in these four-year dormitories from having a uniquely first-year experience, risking adding new stresses and pressures for first years who are living with upperclassmen who are already adjusted to Penn.

Ignoring the burden — partly financial, partly social — being put on current residents, future tenants, and first-year

students is not a solution to the housing problems posed by renovations.

While Penn may not change its decision, moving forward it must put more consideration into the decisions it makes regarding housing, and whether they are hypocritical to its own claims about wanting to foster community. Students should be put first, not what is convenient for the University.

ISABELLA GLASSMAN is a College senior studying philosophy, politics, and economics and Italian studies from Suffern, N.Y. Her email is iglass@ sas.upenn.edu.

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enn has not shied away from making University housing decisions that do not put students’ needs first, the requirement for sophomores to live in on-campus housing being a recent instance of this.

Penn neglected to factor in the added expense that on-campus housing imposed on many students who would have otherwise chosen cheaper off-campus options.

The announcement that Penn would be leasing The Radian to counter the effects of the partial shutdown of the Quad during the year for renovations displays another lack of forethought for the students affected — those who currently live in The Radian, along with the second- and first-year student bodies as a whole.

Those who live in The Radian are facing an immediate financial burden looking forward to next school year if they choose to renew their leases. An email sent to the current tenants already explained how rent would be raised around $500 a month for the upcoming school year.

The email to current tenants stated that Penn security will be in place, requiring the same check-in process for guests that on-campus housing imposes — defeating the off-campus feel that many Penn students hoped to find when moving into The Radian. Penn instead is trying to create the feel of on-campus housing, introducing resident advisors, graduate associates, a house director, and faculty fellows into the apartment. Even if current residents choose to incur the extra costs that are associated with Penn’s leasing of The Radian — which in itself could pose a significant financial burden to students — the idea of it being a purely off-campus housing experience is gone.

While the changes to The Radian make it too reminiscent of the on-campus experience for upperclassmen hoping for a change, the inclusion of the apartment complex as an option for second-year students also defeats the purpose of the second-year housing requirement. In rationalizing the change to on-campus housing requirements, the University cited its desire to forge a stronger community among both the first- and second-year students.

In spite of this mission statement, establishing on-campus housing in The Radian is a decision that isolates students, rather

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Opinion

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Spring Fling needs the Quad C.H.’S SPIN | Spring Fling’s location was moved four years ago, and the results have changed the event permanently

PHOTO BY JOE LI

Spring Fling, pictured above in 2014, was held in the Quad until 2018.

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O

pen a new tab, type “Spring Fling” into the search bar, and press return. What you’re likely to see isn’t Penn Park or Franklin Field; instead, there are panoramic photos of students jumping into crowds of bodies and what can be considered a mosh pit occupying the now serene Quad green. If you’re a current student at the University, this experience may have enticed you, but it was never offered.

Spring Fling uprooted itself and settled down on the edge of campus, Penn Park.

If you tried to stroll in during the first few hours last year, you were probably first met by the intimidating line, and if you managed to wait that part out, you would reach the jackpot: a muddy meadow dotted with a few vendors and an alarming amount of Monster Energy being handed out. Siphon through the obvious questions if you would like: (1) Were there chairs — no; (2) Was there shade — excluding the street overpass, no; (3) Was the setup helpful for performing artists — no. Spring Fling had a logistical, obvious issue, and it’s time to fix it.

To understand what went wrong, we first need to address how the largest

student-run festival on the East Coast lost its way. In 2018, the Quad was abandoned by the Social Planning and Events Committee in an attempt to reinvigorate the festival following issues with attendance. Fearing security concerns and general issues with the Quad venue space, SPEC made the rash decision to start from scratch somewhere else, but the change of locale stripped Fling of its playfulness and appeal.

No one wants to stand in a flat, fairly sparse field while watching musical entertainment because half of the entertainment is the crowd itself. Without the close quarters of the Quad’s antiquated aesthetic, Fling downgraded from Woodstock ‘69 to Woodstock ‘99 — or some sort of Fyre Festival. The one event that enticed people from every corner of Penn into the Quad was effectively nerfed, but was it for good reason?

The green space lying directly in front of McClelland is much smaller than Penn Park, and its borders are much more rigid. Furthermore, the issues of line queues and bathrooms stick out as crucial Quad counterpoints. The University’s frequent property damage bills

from Fling weekend also pressed SPEC to find a new solution. To end festival mishaps and troubles in the Quad, the event relocated. COVID-19 and space constraints were not at fault.

I would not call the Quad a perfect location by any means, but it is a historic stomping ground that used to undergo a drastic, almost freeing transformation each April. Also, the issues attributed to the Quad could be solved by simply shifting a few policies. Queue lines could zig zag throughout the upper Quad and south gate entrance green. Maybe vendors could sell snacks to those waiting in line. Bathrooms could be made more accessible to upper-level students, and security could always be ramped up to prevent property damage or theft. A change of location was not a fix but a dampener on Penn’s one chance to act up amid each year of academia.

The only benefit I can spot in Penn Park is the lack of property to be damaged. 2022’s Spring Fling tried to distract its overworked socialites and exploratory partygoers with free, massproduced food, but all the crowd could see was a school-sanctioned event with

too much money invested in the wrong places. Stripped of the messy culture traditionally surrounding the event, Fling tried to distract its attendees with boba, popsicles, and even a bounce house. I say that we should want more than handouts; we need an experience.

Even if you would rather stand in a field adjacent to the expressway, at least sympathize with the student performers who want to play in a smaller space with a more condensed audience. The noise pollution and lack of a fan base can dampen any performance. It’s time we get that back.

Current Penn students have been stripped of a core memory: watching their friends, classmates, and semi-famous musicians perform in the right venue. It is time for this year’s Spring Fling to return to its rightful niche on Penn’s campus, and I hope those organizing the event can see the same.

C.H. HENRY is a College sophomore studying communications and theater arts from Nashville, Tenn. His email address is chhen@sas.upenn.edu.

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ISKRA (THE SPARK) | Resident advisors have the opportunity to form a historic union

B

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Barnard College in New York City.

travel home for fall break, Thanksgiving recess, spring recess, or other breaks.

Any absence for more than two consecutive days is prohibited except in “extreme emergencies.”

By framing the current state of affairs in this way, it is clear why students at peer institutions, who operate in much the same way, have moved towards unionization. The current system at Penn not only exploits RAs and GRAs through lump sum benefits and an extreme lack of breaks, but paradoxically disadvantages low-income students.

As more student employees unionize across higher education, as well as within the Ivy League, Penn RAs and GRAs have a unique opportunity to mobilize in the context of a growing movement that is undeniably gaining traction. By doing so, they can cement collective bargaining power, which would allow them to redress a lengthy list of glaring issues with the operation of the current system of RA and GRA employment.

Under the auspices of union membership, RAs and GRAs can demand compensation in the form of wages, outside the current benefits offered by the

University, formal allowances, vacations during major breaks in the academic calendar, request leaves of absence for more flexible reasons, and much more.

While unionization will strengthen the ability of all RAs and GRAs to advocate for their rights and interests as student workers, such an organization would also play a crucial role in protecting and attracting low-income students who are being taken advantage of the most under the current system of benefits. Columbia, Barnard, and Dartmouth, among a growing list of universities, have shown that unionization is possible, and that often a large proportion of student workers are in favor of such organizations.

Should a similar sentiment exist among RAs and GRAs at Penn, now is the time to organize and unionize. Both for yourself, but also for student workers everywhere.

VINAY KHOSLA is a College sophomore studying history and political science from Baltimore. His email is vkhosla@sas.upenn.edu.

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see no net financial benefit from being an RA or GRA as their financial aid, which is calculated independently of holding an RA or GRA position, is replaced by valued benefits. As a result of this methodology, students who receive little to no financial aid benefit the most from being a RA or RGA, while those who require the perceived added benefits the most reap no absolute financial rewards.

This, in turn, may discourage lowincome students from applying to be an RA or GRA, as they will not receive any extra aid for the, as previously established, inordinate amount of work required. The resulting lack of socioeconomic diversity in the resident advisor staff is problematic for obvious reasons, as RAs and GRAs are often who students first turn to in times of need.

Additionally, since RAs and GRAs are paid in the form of benefits, which can be calculated as a lump sum, there are no avenues through which they can receive extra pay or benefits for extra hours worked, events organized, or exceptional support provided to students. Moreover, Penn’s College House and Academic Services does not permit RAs and GRAs to

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

arnard College’s resident advisors recently made a historic move, becoming one of only a handful of university workers’ groups to unionize since a National Labor Relations Board ruling in 2017 cleared the way for such actions. Hot on the heels of Wesleyan residential life employees unionizing this past March and Mount Holyoke’s filing for union recognition just weeks ago, Barnard RAs are only the latest participants in an accelerating unionization movement.

The common motivation for such collective organizing efforts generally centers around the lack of adequate compensation and benefits. This complaint becomes especially marked when considering the situation of resident advisors and graduate resident advisors who are expected to work around the clock. It is often framed as a requirement that RAs and GRAs should be virtually always available to address residents’ needs.

They also have a myriad of other responsibilities such as event organizing, administrative work, and leadership.

Keeping in mind that RAs and GRAs are often full-time students, involved in extracurriculars and sometimes juggling other jobs, the additional commitment required of them is formidable. Of course, RA and GRA positions are voluntary, and are often taken by students because of the benefits provided as compensation.

At Penn, this takes the form of yearround housing and a paltry dining plan.

However, considering that RAs and GRAs are implicitly required to be constantly available, rough calculations can be made as to how much they are compensated by the hour in the form of “benefits.”

Using conservative estimates that RAs and GRAs must be on call for nine hours a day, and taking a generous estimate of the monetary value of Penn’s provided dining and housing, dividing by 63 hours a week for approximately 40 weeks, yields a meager salary of $7.14 an hour, which falls below the minimum wage.

But this is, after all, a moot point, as RAs and GRAs are not paid in the form of wages. Penn, instead, treats the benefits as they would an external scholarship: As opposed to reducing the expected contribution, the University subtracts the total value of RA and GRA benefits from the financial aid these students may have already received in the form of grants.

In this way, depending on the amount of financial aid a student receives, they could

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The time to unionize is now

24 HOUSING GUIDE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022

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