In my mind, the answer to the question ‘which college function should move into Root Hall?’ is fairly obvious. The building should be transformed into more housing selections for students, preferably ones similar to the Morris House Apartments. It is a building that already exists on campus, and it therefore would be less time consuming to remodel it into housing than building new apartments. It is a beautiful building, and it is fairly spacious too.

It would be somewhat complicated to turn an academic building like Root Hall into housing; regardless, it is also necessary to accommodate the growing population of students at the college, especially because the Glenview buildings are on a four-year contract that will soon expire. However, even with the temporary dorms, there were still many singles in Bundy that were forced into doubles, and the same will undoubtedly occur again next year.

This compounds with another issue, which is that the rising sophomore’s housing lottery does not have many options.

Unless one gets a really good time, acquiring a quad or double is quite difficult. Converting Root Hall into a residence hall would provide underclassmen with much better housing prospects.

This shortage of housing has become troublesome because students are not permitted to reside off-campus. While I understand the sentiment behind this policy, since living off-campus would be quite tedious for many involved, it still may be preferable for some students who may not want to live in a forced double and do not have better housing options. Without any financial aid, room and board costs nearly sixteen thousand dollars. Students could rent an apartment and cook their own meals for less money off-campus.

If Hamilton does not allow students to reside off-campus, I believe that they have an obligation to provide us with housing that is better than the options one could live in on off-campus.

From an admissions standpoint, prospective students would be more likely to be okay with living on campus all four years of college if new dorms are being built. The construction of more residence halls needs to be continued, especially if more and more students attend Hamilton each year. Once the contract on Glenview A and B runs out, Hamilton will not have enough space to house its students. It is simply a pertinent move to plan for success and convert Root Hall into a residence hall so the college can accommodate its students in a way that is emblematic of the tuition statement.