At a Senate meeting of the Associated Students of Whitman College  (ASWC) on Feb. 22, the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life and Housing Andrew Johnson presented information about moving towards a fully residential experience. His presentation introduced a proposed requirement for students to live in college-owned housing for all four years. 

This presentation follows an agenda published by The Wire that introduced the same requirement and was discussed by the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2025. Johnson explained that the requirement aims to make housing more equitable and ensure safe, clean and higher quality spaces for student residences. 

The Residence Life and Housing Office is still discussing the details of the requirement, but Johnson said it could take effect as early as when current first-year students begin their junior year in an interview with The Wire. 

“People may have different views on this, and that’s okay, but we’re usually able to alleviate most of the concerns that come up,” Johnson said. “If [students] still want to have the experience of  ‘I’m going to go live in a house with my friends and really live independently,’ that can still be the case for the students that want that. We’re just going to make sure that space is safe.”

This proposal emerged in response to challenges and stress reported by juniors and seniors living in non-Whitman-owned housing. Specifically, Johnson claims that complaints about finding a landlord, signing a lease and affording a deposit inspired the new requirement.

He also cited issues with heating, fires, mice, AC, leaks, mold, fungus and flooring leading to unsafe living conditions in off-campus rentals not controlled by the college. 

“When I heard this presentation, I better understood why [Residence] Life was even considering this,” ASWC President Sybella Ssewakiryanga said. “With Whitman-owned college housing, they have more oversight with maintenance.”

Some students living off-campus, like senior Allie Fallis, encounter maintenance and housing issues in Whitman-owned rentals. Fallis listed fire hazards, plants growing out of the floor and broken shelves in the house she moved into for her senior year. Students like Fallis question the college’s maintenance availability and capacity to meet housing needs. 

“If this were to be implemented, I would just hope that Whitman makes sure to follow up and ensure the houses are up to par,” Ssewakiryanga said. “If you make this requirement, then you have to ensure that you’re also holding your own and ensuring you’re doing what you say you’re going to do as [residential] life, but I don’t think it’s a problem.”

A sense of independence remains a central concern for students and administrators when discussing the plan. Under the new requirement, juniors and seniors will not be required to purchase meal plans, and Johnson has recently considered furnishing college houses in response to student feedback.

“If they’re going to look into making this a requirement, they should look into furnishing the spaces as much as possible and providing things like a washer and dryer,” Ssewakiryanga said. “You’d have to definitely make sure that people actually want to move in those houses, too. It’s an additional financial burden to have to look for not just the money to pay the rent, but also all these other amenities.”

Fallis raised concerns about self-development and independence when housing becomes more conveniently owned by the college, especially regarding financial literacy. 

“I think there’s also something to be said about the responsibility [living off-campus or in non-Whitman housing] teaches,” Fallis said. “[Students] are paying each month, whereas at Whitman you’re paying once a semester. And Whitman covers, in the cost you pay each semester, all of the gas, electrical and trash. You’re not paying any of that separately, so you’re not getting that literacy in having to manage those things on your own.”

Fallis also sees some benefits to living in Whitman-owned housing.

“I feel like having the requirement is unnecessary, I think what they need to do is advertise that they own off-campus houses a lot better,” Fallis said. “They’re definitely not going out of their way to make options known to students. From a financial standpoint, it makes sense why they would try to get people to live on-campus or in the junior-senior apartments because it might be an educational institution, but they are running a business.”

The new requirement would allow students to renew specific residences and stay in the same place throughout their time as upperclassmen. It will also use a lottery to allocate more than 100 exemptions to the requirement since the college does not currently own enough housing for all Whitman students. 

This lottery will assess the number of students who need housing versus the number of beds available. Those who volunteer to live off-campus or are selected in this process will receive an exemption from the requirement. Students who need accommodations with their housing could also petition for an exemption from living in Whitman-owned rentals.

Looking into the future and a four year housing requirement, Johnson feels confident in the college’s ability to eventually house all students throughout their time at Whitman.

“We get the question, ‘Do you actually have enough housing for everybody?’,” Johnson said. “The answer is no, not right now, but we’ll have a method for managing that.”

With this new requirement, students share concerns about how the housing will be furnished, whether Whitman College can keep up with the maintenance and how they’ll be able to develop their autonomy as they continue to live in a home owned by their school.