The Tufts Daily Volume Lxx, Number 14
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Ryan Adams successfully covers Taylor Swift’s hit album “1989” Pre-orientation programs see ARTS AND LIVING / PAGE 5 see restructuring SEE FEATURES / PAGE 3 Rohan Gupta reaches the quarterfinals in singles tournament at Williams this past weekend see SPORTS / BACK PAGE THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY EST. 1980 THE TUFTS DAILY VOLUME LXX, NUMBER 14 MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 tuftsdaily.com Limited space puts new students in overflow housing Student Affairs by Arin Kerstein News Editor Office revises On-campus housing has approached disciplinary maximum capacity this semester, put- ting many first-year and transfer students in policies overflow housing and nontraditional first- year housing. by Noah Habeeb Yolanda King, director of the Office of Staff Writer Residential Life and Learning (ResLife), said there are currently 12 available beds on The Student Judicial Process, which holds campus, most of which are in open spots students and student organizations account- in campus doubles. Because of this limited able for violations of university and local poli- availability, there is very little flexibility for cies, was revised over the summer recess by the students who want to change their residen- Student Affairs Office. tial accommodations, King said. According to Judicial Affairs Administrator Of the 17 student residence halls, eight are Mickey Toogood, most of the process has available to incoming students and 16 are remained the same, though the scheme of dis- special interest residences. These build- ciplinary sanctions has undergone significant ings supply a total of approximately 3,000 revisions. beds on campus, according to Dean of ALEX KNAPP / THE TUFTS DAILY The judicial process — which is managed Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon and the Wilson House is one of the locations first-year students have been placed because of overcrowding by Toogood and Assistant Dean of Student ResLife website. Affairs Chistopher Rossi in the Dean of Student According to King, the Class of 2019 and Wilson House, so that they would have a roommates having conflicts, the in-hall staff Affairs Office — still includes hearings, Dean’s the group of new transfer students are an cohort group as they became acclimated to are prepared to assistant students…with decisions and administrative resolutions, unusually large group of incoming students. Tufts,” King said. “However, there was a need switching roommates, which we call mutual according to Toogood. Numbers cited in Tufts Now articles show to house the freshmen in Wilson House this swaps, and on some occasions hosting a “The changes that I think are going to be that the Class of 2019 contains 1,360 first-year year and assign the transfers to spaces on gathering for those looking to [swap] room- most interesting to students are the changes in students, an increase from last year’s incom- campus that were suitable for upper-class mates,” King said. disciplinary sanctions,” he said. ing first-year class of 1,352 students and the students, as we are committed to freshmen According to McMahon, if there is a need The old scheme of sanctions was warn- previous year’s class of 1,318 students. being in staffed halls.” to move large numbers of students for any ing, Disciplinary Probation Level I (Pro I), The number of transfer students vary in King added that some juniors will go reason, ResLife will look into ways to repur- Disciplinary Probation Level II (Pro II), suspen- any given year, but typically anywhere from abroad next semester, creating free spaces pose space and move and consolidate people sion and expulsion, according to Toogood. The 50 to 100 transfer candidates will be offered in housing. at the midyear point. new scheme is warning, reprimand, probation, admission, according to the Tufts Admissions “There will be a lot more options and “With 3,000 beds, there’s a lot of room formal censure, suspension, indefinite suspen- website. opportunity for students to move in the to do some creative problem solving when sion and expulsion. King said the influx of students has caused spring semester,” she said. we have to, and we’re going to try to do that Toogood said removing Pro I and Pro II will ResLife to think creatively in order to find The Wilson House will be made available thoughtfully,” she said. help students better communicate the mean- optimal housing placements for them. for transfer students again for the next aca- McMahon said there are two retreat suites ing of their sanctions with people outside the McMahon explained that many of the demic year, according to McMahon. that remain separate from the housing sys- Tufts community. on-campus spaces that ResLife typically Sophomore Lucy Purinton, one of three tem and are effectively offline, but which “Probation level I and II isn’t something that sets aside in case people need to be moved transfer students placed in the Chinese can be made available if a student needs is universally used by universities,” he said. “We during the academic year are currently being House on Curtis St., said the incoming trans- to be removed from their housing situation wanted something that would translate better used for permanent student housing. fer students were originally told over the immediately. for students, because the more efficiently you “Our planned overflow space is being summer that they would be placed together “The Counseling [and Mental Health can talk about what happened…the easier that used this year, which tells you that we have in Wilson House. On July 17, however, the Services] and Health Services and TUPD conversation can go for students when they plenty of people on campus,” McMahon students were informed that there would not have access to them on the weekend, as have to report their record out.” said. “We still have other overflow space, and be room in the house for all of them. does the administrator on call,” she said. In the new disciplinary scheme, a repri- there’s this constant process where people Purinton said her housing situation has “We can sort of coordinate and say, ‘Okay, we mand, rather than Pro I, follows a warning. change their plans [at the last minute], so the made the adjustment to Tufts more difficult have this space for someone to go because Toogood noted that although it occupies the capture number changes [from day to day].” and that given the opportunity, she would they need short-term space while we figure slot that Pro I used to fill, a reprimand is quite Transfer students have been placed likely elect to move to another building. out what else is happening with their room different from being placed on probation. wherever there were spaces available in var- “I think it would have been a lot easier if assignment.’” “A reprimand is not a new name for Pro I,” ious on-campus apartments, special inter- I were in a traditional dorm with all of the McMahon and King both said they hope he said. “It is a non-disciplinary sanction … est houses and some residence halls, accord- other transfers, or at least more transfers,” to explore possibilities to improve on-cam- I think in the long term [a reprimand] is less ing to King. Transfer students have she said. “Also, if I were on campus, just pus housing experiences, including work- severe for students.” been housed in Wilson House in the past few because it’s a good way to meet people, but ing through the Residential Strategies Working Two other new sanctions in the revised pol- years, but because the residence is staffed I feel kind of restricted based on where I am Group (RSWG), which was established icy are formal censure and indefinite suspen- with a resident advisor, placement of first- living.” last spring to investigate student housing sion, both of which are meant to be responses year students was prioritized over transfer While there is limited flexibility, students options. RSWG has worked over the summer to serious violations, Toogood said. students. who have issues with their current housing with housing data collected by administrative “This is not a sanction that is designed to King called the current arrangements for situations can switch with other students units to pursue its goals effectively, according be used as an escalation if there are multiple transfer students “temporary placements.” at any point in time, as long as the desired to Provost and Senior Vice President David violations,” he said. “It is if there are particular “There were plans to house the transfer swaps are mutual, King explained. students together in one location, that being “If there are any issues as it pertains to see HOUSING, page 2 see DISCIPLINE, page 2 Contact Us P.O. 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BACK 72 / 50 TUFTSDAILY.COM @tuftsdaily [email protected] 2 THE TUFTS DAILY | NEWS | Wednesday, September 30, 2015 tuftsdaily.com NEWS NEWS Iranian journalist speaks about Tehran Bureau reporting a few years before lem when the organization was just officially partner- beginning. ing in 2014 with the According to Niknejad, the bureau British newspaper relied on Paypal donations from its read- The Guardian, which ers to keep functioning until the organi- has been hosting the zation became supported financially by organization since. “Frontline.” Niknejad spoke Niknejad said she would not allow the highly of her part- bureau’s stories to pander to gain more nership with The attention and potentially more funding. Guardian. “I have not been able to bring myself “[The Guardian] to that,” she said.