SHPC Report: Conclusions

  1. We recommend that in the immediate future we retain Senior House in our undergraduate housing inventory for the following reasons and under the following conditions:
    a. Reasons
    1. Senior House as undergraduate housing will allow us to end undergraduate dormitory crowding;
    2. Senior House as undergraduate housing will allow us to restore flexibility in the undergraduate housing system;
    3. Senior House as undergraduate housing will facilitate other needed renovations.

    b. Conditions
    1. renovations begin as quickly as possible; therefore, a feasibility study that tells us whether or not the building can be renovated in a summer should begin immediately with a renovations schedule firmly established. Such a study is not dependent on ultimate use of the building;
    2. a flexible design that allows adaptation for other uses in future years, e.g., undergraduates now, but eventually graduate use;
    3. there is serious exploration of whether or not programs like ESG, Concourse, or ISP could be housed in Senior House thus creating a residential base for all or some of these freshmen year programs;
    4. flexible design include ample common space and would include exploration of the summer use option.
  2. We recommend that Ashdown become an undergraduate residence under the following conditions:
    a. this is a pragmatic decision and not based on any grand scheme to move all undergraduates to the west side of campus;
    b. if Senior house is not renovated in the summer of '95, we suggest reserving a portion of Ashdown in the fall of 1995 and reassigning a portion of Westgate for new single graduate housing. There are currently 25 single occupants of studio apartments and the number could be increased to 50 apartments designated for use as doubles. Such moves would:
    1. restore flexibility to the undergraduate housing system while ending crowding;
    2. take the edge off disruption in housing options for entering graduate students.

    c. if Senior House renovations must begin this summer and the dorm be out of use for the coming academic year, we should reserve a larger portion of Ashdown exploring whether or not our unique programs for freshman might not be housed there. Such a move would:
    1. house Senior House residents and take the edge off crowding for the fall of '95;
    2. in the short term be the most financially feasible option given the cost of new undergraduate housing and would allow us to mitigate crowding;
    3. mean less graduate housing disruption as undergraduates would return to Senior House upon completion of renovations and graduates could remain in Ashdown until the new graduate housing is available; when new housing is complete, graduates in Ashdown would move and Ashdown would become an undergraduate dorm with appropriate renovations.
  3. We recommend that the process for creating a new multi-use housing community at Sidney and Pacific in the northwest quadrant begin immediately. This is not dependent on what is done with Senior House. Given the disruption of current housing for graduate students in even the most favorable of scenarios, it is critical to begin Sidney and Pacific immediately:
    a. students should be invited to help recreate the best benefits of Ashdown;
    b. this move would reaffirm MIT's commitment to provide housing in Cambridge and would establish an important presence on this parcel;
    c. this move would replace by 1997 the capacity lost with Ashdown;
    d. this move would support existing housing presence in the northwest area.
  4. Further study:
    a. look more closely at the future for East Campus residence halls;
    b. study the graduate tutor model and the Housemaster system;
    c. give serious attention to the determination of an optimal undergraduate class size;
    d. residence life issues for both graduates and undergraduates; program development for Senior House, Sidney and Pacific, Edgerton, including academic presence, dining issues, transportation and safety concerns;
    e. develop a financial plan to under gird the housing changes we will need to make over the next decade.
The Archive Team (archive@the-tech.mit.edu)