“They’re getting rid of townhouse basements?!”
That very question is bursting forth from many outraged students across campus. And while it is usually an immediate and mostly uninformed reaction, even after closer review it could be completely on target.
The drama is caused by the newly proposed housing renovations that will convert the townhouse basements into garden apartments completely independent of the upstairs townhouses.
Throughout the last decade, numerous Fairfield traditions have been nixed: Clam Jam, 200 Nights, Mock Wedding, Forgotten Path, and the Keg Races, to name a few. Also, the beach injunction has not created an atmosphere that really encourages the creation of new events. And here on campus there is even talk of combining Spam Jam and May Day into one event this year.
The proposed housing renovations that will convert the townhouse basements into separate apartments threaten to continue this destructive tide.
Granted, basement parties aren’t exactly a tradition, but they still serve as one of the last vestiges of a University that wasn’t virtually devoid of University sponsored fun (this isn’t to say that fun must involve alcohol, but as of-age college students it’s often an integral part).
In past years student associations, or even students acting independently, have been forced to take it upon themselves to keep alive the scraps of the once glorious events.
The basements aren’t just unfinished space at the bottom of already overcrowded townhouses (remember: when they were originally designated as six- and four-man residences?), they serve as a spot to relax with friends without having to worry about disturbing the housemates trying to sleep upstairs, spills ruining carpets, or being too loud for the neighbors.
While it is not necessarily the University’s responsibility to provide students, even of-age ones, with places to relax and drink with their friends, and not have to pay for beer like at the Levee, when did it become their responsibility to completely remove all of these places?
The new housing is meant for juniors and seniors: upperclassmen, the majority of whom are over 21. It is silly to pretend that drinking is not a part of a modern college lifestyle.
By not providing any space for drinking and gathering with friends, other than a resident’s actual living area, the new townhouse and Ignation Hall plans are severely lacking.
In the broadest sense they are lacking the very spirit that makes Fairfield the institution that is has always been.
Fairfield prides itself on its impressive track record of legacy enrollment, be it sons, daughters, sisters, or brothers. These students, who have passed through this school and encourage their family members to attend, look back on their experience and remember not only the education they received, but also the fun that they had while they were students.
It is inevitable that a school will undergo change, in fact it would be disastrous for it not to. But that does not mean that all change is for the better. Most of today’s and (if things continue as they are now) tomorrow’s students will never experience the camaraderie that past classes were able to foster while enjoying all of the privileges that of-age students can partake in.
How can students that never have these opportunities to bond with their peers remember Fairfield as a fun and enjoyable place?
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