Tom McKiver/The Mirror
At last Wednesday’s Off-Campus Boarder Experience Forum, led by Dr. Thomas Pellegrino, Vice President of Student Affairs, with assistance from Karen Donoghue, Dean of Students, and Ophelie Rowe-Allen, Director of Residence Life, students learned that the number of students to be allowed to become off-campus boarders will be substantially lower next year.
Coming down from the current number of 304 off-campus boarders (OCBs), next year’s number will be approximately 200 students. With an estimated 400 students seeking OCB status for next year, this means that half of students applying, for what has come to be seen as a quintessential senior year experience, will be denied.
Dr. Pellegrino cited the poor economy and lower enrollment as reasons for the reduction in the number of OCBs next year. Dr. Pellegrino stated that the way they calculate the number is ”based primarily on enrollment, how many beds we have on campus, how many students we have enrolling, how many students we have on campus.”
In addressing student concerns that the recent renovation of Dolan Hall and the addition of new residence halls at 70 McCormick and 51 McInnes was a plot designed by the University to get rid of beach living, Dr. Pellegrino contended that the University’s intention was much less sinister. He explained that the purpose of new residence options was to end forced triples for freshmen and to ease the strain on crowded townhouses, previously housing five to seven people when they were designed for four to six.
“Both for mathematical reasons, we can’t do away with the beach or off-campus living in general, it’s a release valve. We need to have the ability to have some portion of our students off-campus… assuming our enrollment is where we want it to be,” Dr. Pellegrino offered.
Nonetheless, there is still a fair amount of student outrage at the announcement of the number of next year’s OCBs. Junior Gabe Garcia expressed his discontent with the possibility that his senior experience could be in jeopardy: “No beach, no Fairfield.”
In recent years, students denied OCB status but still wishing to live off-campus have applied for commuter status instead in an effort to cut corners. Commuter status is available for those students who live within a thirty-five mile radius of Fairfield and want to live at home instead of on-campus.
Some students, after being awarded commuter status choose to lie about where they are actually residing and live on the beach anyway. Donoghue explained that while this is not only frowned upon by the University, it takes away a spot for students looking to be released through the lottery, and any student caught living off-campus at the beach under commuter status will be charged room and board by the school.
In an effort to ease the anxiety of juniors applying for OCB status next year, Residence Life is offering a way to advance in the lottery. Residence Life is now accepting applications from groups of juniors to fill three to five spots for Build-A-House programs. Those groups accepted will receive priority in the lottery for OCB status.
However, this process will only guarantee OCB status for a limited amount of individuals and will no doubt be highly competitive. With the number of students living at the beach reaching low levels, the fate of a Fairfield University tradition is uncertain.
Chris D’Agostino ’13 gave his thoughts: “A hope of living on the beach senior year is an attraction that draws many students to Fairfield University. Now it just seems like false advertisement.”
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