People always complain that cross-cultural conversations and dialogue are few and far in between at UNC. While this problem is not unique to our university, UNC exacerbates it by creating a housing system in which our first-year population is segmented in two demographically distinct pieces living in two completely separate bubbles.
The presence of Granville Towers as a viable, popular housing choice for first-years is one of the biggest diversity issues on this campus. This editorial board — made up of both “Granville-ites” and “South Campus folk” — urges the Department of Housing and Residential Education to to follow through on its “First Year Experience” efforts and reconfigure Granville as a North Campus dorm, intended only for sophomores, juniors and seniors.
It is not the differences in locations or amenities that cause us large concern, but the demographics. No one can doubt that South Campus and Granville are made up of distinct populations across race, sexuality or socio-economic status. With Granville’s tiered-housing options that can range up to $10,000 a semester and its proximity to Greek life, it attracts a very different crowd. Granville should instead be marketed toward sophomores, juniors and seniors, as it is an attractive living location with close proximity to both campus and Franklin Street.
This rebranding is crucial. The differential population promotes a culture in which Granville residents and South Campus residents might view one another as “others” rather than first-years undergoing a common experience. The supposed sense of unity the college experience provides is instead unwound by the remarkably different paths created by our housing selection. Our administration and professors continually remind us that higher education is fundamentally about exposure to new ideas and new people, but UNC and the housing department support and endorse a housing system that is instead antithetical to this very essence.
Focusing on first-year housing can be a particularly strong focus of change because it is an experience shared by virtually every student. We must acknowledge the ways in which place shapes our trajectories at UNC, from friends to extracurriculars.
UNC certainly recognizes first-year housing as a problem. Recently, the housing department has focused new initiatives to cultivate a “First-Year Experience” that celebrates UNC’s diversity. The honors housing, previously located in Cobb Residence Hall, was moved to South Campus to Koury Residence Hall just two years ago. All we ask is a continuation of these efforts to bring all first-years geographically together.
UNC has no one to blame but itself when it comes to these diversity issues. Just two weeks ago, a resident adviser’s Black Lives Matter board was torn down in Granville, reflecting the current tense racial climate. These aggressions will continue until the University takes serious steps to desegregate our housing system. Our message is not to diminish the types of people who live in Granville or South Campus or chastise them for having chosen to live there; they are largely making individual, sensible decisions. In administering housing, the University should heed its responsibility to breaking down the barriers to empathy and understanding among students, not fortifying them.
