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My Housing Rant
I am going to start this article off by informing you that I am very biased and bitter. I was a junior studying abroad this fall. On my return back to campus, I wanted a single. Badly. I like my solitude, and I have a girlfriend. A single just made sense. But because of the housing crunch, I didn’t get one. This happens and I understand. If there are more people requesting singles than are available, then the school cannot honor all requests. It’s a pure numbers game. I want to make clear, that’s not what I am angry about. I am angry about what has happened since then.
On the first day of this semester, I went to Ethan Andyshak, the Director of Residential Life, and requested to be moved to a single. He informed me that for a variety of reasons some students were not going to be returning this semester and that there was a chance he’d be able to fill my request. He’d said he would get back to me with an answer in no longer than one week.
It has been a little over two months. I have yet to receive a response. I have had my countless emails outright ignored. I have had five pointless meetings. I have talked with Fid Castro, Ethan Andyshak’s direct superior. And I have yet to receive one freaking definitive word. Not a yes, not a no. I still have stuff piled in my car in preparation for a potential move that I have been told over and over again could occur any day now.
This is what I have been able to cobble together about the housing situation as I sifted through the maze of double speak that has been spewed my way. First, there still are open singles. Multiple singles. However, as much as it pains me to say this, I can kind of understand why I have not been put into one of these open rooms. I have been told they are keeping them open in order to create flexibility during the RA change over. This does make sense to me. They have strung me along by claiming I may still receive one of these rooms after spring break. I have a sneaking suspicion that this article might be the nail in my coffin that prevents this from happening.
The real reason I am angry goes as follows. At the beginning of the year there were students living in singles requesting to live in doubles anywhere. While I am left to wonder why these people were put in singles to begin with, I’ll ignore that question for the time being. It is important to keep in mind that this information has come straight from Mr. Andyshak himself. The truth could be even more ridiculous than what he has happened to let slip during our numerous conversations.
These were students who wanted to move to doubles, so switching rooms would have been a net benefit for both sides. However, because of the bureaucracy of the system I was not put into contact with any of the several people requesting to move into a double until last week. That would be 2 full months after I first made my request. Unsurprisingly, at this point in the year they were so settled into their rooms that they no longer wanted to move.
I want to make clear that I don’t want this article to be seen as a personal attack. For all I know Ethan Andyshak is merely following protocol. If this is the case, it’s not with him that I have a problem. It’s rather with the painfully inefficient bureaucracy of the system. I fully understand that not all requests can be honored. But I don’t feel like it is asking too much to say that requests should be dealt with in a timely and efficient manner. A yes when willing parties exist, and a no when they do not—that’s all I really want from my housing department.
Housing is an important part of our college experience. From what I have heard anecdotally, I am not the only one who experienced this sort of turmoil. This article was really just me being a whiner. Tell me your stories. If you plan to apply to be an RA in the future and are worried about retribution, post anonymously, but these wrongs must be aired. Maybe once and for all we can help destroy the bureaucratic red tape that defines CMC’s housing policies.
23 Comments
2009-03-03
22:13:52
He did this same thing to me. I ended up finding someone else who wanted to switch rooms and now we are living in our ideal situation, though I'm still registered as being in her room and vice versa. There is no excuse for taking this long for housing.
2009-03-03
22:14:00
He said he would email me by today. It's 10:12 PM!!!!!!!!!!!
2009-03-03
22:15:35
I sat next to him at an Ath event last year and he was telling me about some accounting issues and how he is on the line for 10 years after he graduates. The only reason he works at CMC is so he can take care of these issues if they come up. He'll quit in a few more years. CMC should fire him.
2009-03-03
22:53:44
As a freshman last year, I was placed into a tiny double and my roommate and I were constantly getting in each other's way. We didn't get along too well either. I went to Andyshak probably about 5 times during the first semester asking for a room change and he kept telling me to come back the following week and give him time to find me something. After the first semester passed by unsuccessfully, I fully expected to be put into a new room for the spring semester after people went abroad and came back. When I went to see him the first day of the spring semester, he told me that all of the rooms had been filled, and that I'd have to be put on a waiting list for later.
What I didn't understand is why he just didn't put me into the general draw for spring semester rooms, instead of hoping to put me into some room gap that might magically reveal itself after room organization?!
Spencer, I totally agree with you that the flexibility of this system is flawed. Freshmen who have undesirable living situations after their first semester should have the opportunity to switch rooms, or at least switch with other freshmen in the same situation, just like you should've been able to switch immediately with someone else who was in an undesirable situation after coming back from abroad.
I know of countless, countless other people who've had similar experiences with Andyshak.
2009-03-03
23:16:44
The real reason why we have such a bad housing crunch this year is that we're accepting more and more freshmen.
We just built a new freaking dorm. How is it that we're having a housing crunch?!
I blame Pam Gann & housing.
There are about +30 juniors who came back from abroad that are stuck in the tiniest doubles on this campus in Stark.
They need to either reimburse us for paying the same amount as are those students with humanly bigger doubles or find a better explanation.
2009-03-03
23:26:00
Mr. Andyshak is just lazy. We have excess housing at CMC. There are Scrippsies living here.
2009-03-03
23:27:55
Yes, there is a housing crunch but that is not the issue. The issue is nonsensical bureaucratic inefficiency that makes Soviet Russia look like Dora the swiper lady at Collins. I cannot tell you how many friends of mine have had problem with Mr. Andyshak's office. There are easy solutions...like pairing people who want each other's housing situations...that could be executed in 5 minutes. Instead, all of my friends have taken months to deal with these problems. Like Spencer said, it's not that there aren't singles that bothers him, its the inefficiency of the whole process! I find it hilarious that at a school that values market solutions and efficiency, we have one of the most inefficient housing offices that I have seen.
2009-03-03
23:29:19
PS, with Los Angeles County unemployment at >10%, it should not be that hard to find someone more efficient at a reasonable cost.
2009-03-03
23:41:45
There has to be more than one person for there to be a bureaucracy. Do not insult Soviet Russia by comparing its supposed bureaucratic inefficiency to what is merely laziness of one individual. It seems quite clear that the true moral of this story is that Capitalism fails on the idiocy of Andy Ethanshak while Communism triumphs on the wings of bureaucracy.
2009-03-04
00:09:24
Mr. Khrushchev,
Tear Down This Wall!
Mr. Andyshak,
I am yet to hear of a successful conflict that you, personally, resolved. What is it that you do at Claremont McKenna?
2009-03-04
01:39:33
You know he is doing a shitty job when a great conversation starter is "Fuck you, Ethan Andyshak"
Trust me, you can get a whole room to tell horror stories by just shouting that out in a crowded room--everyone hates him.
2009-03-04
02:06:34
I live in a triple in North Quad. I was told that there 'were no bigger rooms available on CMC's campus." Does Andyshak have the IQ of a cranberry?
2009-03-04
09:41:16
Last Thursday, there was a kid breaking bottles outside of my room. My roommates and I went outside to confront him and nearly got into a fight. To disarm the situation, the kid said, "Fuck Ethan Andyshak." Suddenly, the antagonism between us disappeared and we felt a strange sense of camaraderie. If nothing else, at least Mr. Andyshak's lack of initiative and uselessness is bringing CMC students together.
2009-03-04
11:17:01
Ethan Andyshak has singlehandedly ruined my residential living situation for this year. Even after repeated attempts to contact him, abroad and over the break, he did not return my e-mails or phone calls. then, when he FINALLY did reply, he gave me empty promises about things he claimed he would do....no shock here, but they were all blatant lies. he never did anything he said he would, and said he "didn't realize" he made these promises.
2009-03-04
11:36:31
I arrived at school a couple days early last semester, instead of giving me the key to my room, he told me to drive 1,000 miles back home and come back 2 days later, WTF? I just about deposited my foot in his ass bank.
2009-03-04
14:44:27
Spencer, I'm glad you are exposing this huge issue at CMC.
Similarly, I am biased like you but I feel like a lot of people feel 'biased' when they speak of CMC housing, especially Andyshack. I have had three terrible experiences with Andyshak. I do not want to share them because they are very specific. I don't want to share them, because he could use them ageist me. I just wanted to show support for this movement you started.
I have a dream that this article is noted by some higher power in the administration; I have a dream that we will be liberated from Andyshak regime
Best,
your # 1 follower
2009-03-04
14:58:23
This article was just about me bitching and complaining. It was about me blowing my petty complaint out of proportion. But the scope of the situation clearly extends beyond me. Something has to change. It's ridiculous that we pay 7 grand a year for housing and this is the service we receive in return. I want to write a bigger longer piece where I detail the complaints of the myriad of people that feel like they have been treated unfairly. I even want to interview the Dean of Students.
So send me an email with your story. Tell your friends that you know have complaints to send me their story. My address is skline10@cmc.edu. If you plan on applying to be an RA next year, I will respect your requests for anonymity.
2009-03-04
15:42:58
To Paulson, that part is primarily your fault. You KNOW you're not supposed to come back early, unless you're a school athlete who's ahd it cleared by the school. That way they can keep track of who's on campus.
2009-03-04
16:37:35
I've come back early for each of the past two years. Just talk to the RA's as they'll let you in. I don't think you were serious with that post as if Mr. Andyshack told me to drive 1,000 miles home, well then either me or Mr. Andyshak would no longer be at CMC for either health or expulsionary reasons.
2009-03-04
21:39:09
Seems like I'm the only one who likes Andyshak and has had reasonable times dealing with him. I just keep on going into his office until he actually does something, if that means every other day for 2-3 weeks than so be it. Usually though it pays off.
2009-03-05
00:03:30
Ok, Paulson, so the RA let you in. Techinically, they're not supposed to. So why would Andyshak give you your keys? I'm playing devils advocate here because there's supposed to be a date you're let back. What would happen if everyone just decided to come back early, because they can?
Andyshak was wrong to say that, but you should have known that was a possibility, since the school admins would never let anyone back in that aren't supposed to be there over break. When RAs do it, it's still technically against the rules.
2009-03-07
16:29:45
To Anarchy, Seven Deadly Sins, and everyone else:
I agree that, in many (if not countless) situations, Mr. Andyshak is indeed to blame.
But you should get your facts straight before crying like a little girl...otherwise, you look ignorant.
This is what I have found out from my chats with Mr. Andyshak, and his superiors at DOS.
A few misconceptions:
1) The housing crunch can not be attributed to Mr. Andyshak or admissions alone. The real finger should be pointed at the treasurer's office, who requires DOS to keep the dorms operating at maximum capacity at all times. This is why we rented vacant doubles in Phillips to Scrippsies first semester.
2) The Scrippsies were booted at semester, Seven Deadly Sins. CMC would never accommodate Scripps students before CMC'ers.
3) Correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe the Juniors heading abroad for the Fall received a letter before departing informing them that they would not be guaranteed housing upon return. From what I have heard, there were 70 more students returning from abroad than departing in the Spring. CMC could have easily told these Juniors, who willingly made the choice to study abroad in the Fall, to find their own housing off campus...but they worked to squeeze everybody in. The Stark doubles are less than ideal, I understand. But wouldn't you prefer to be in a Stark double on campus, than in an apt off campus? If not, move. Problem solved.
...I thought studying abroad would have equipped the Juniors with the tools to adapt to new situations, and a greater sense of maturity. I guess not.
2009-03-08
13:13:42
You clearly didn't read the article, which is ironic given the name you gave yourself. I am not complaining in anyway whatsoever about the housing crunch. That is an entirely seperate issue. What I was talking about is the burecratic inefficiency that surounds housing requests. It's not that there isn't housing, it's the utter inability of DOS to bring willing parties together.