Animal House may soon be coming to an apartment near you.
At its meeting last week, Campus Council passed a resolution that would allow the residents of certain apartments on Central Campus to house cats or caged animals.
Right now, the University is repairing and renovating apartments, constructing a new restaurant and redesigning the Mill Village complex. While these infrastructure projects to physically improve Central Campus are underway, Campus Council is well-intentioned to focus its time, energy and resources on Central.
Due to the toll last Fall’s financial crisis took on the University endowment, plans for New Campus have been tabled indefinitely. As conversation has focused onto Central Campus in the wake of this budgetary reality, we applaud the efforts made by Campus Council to generate creative and cost-effective initiatives to improve the quality of life on Central.
The “Pets on Central” proposal is a great start. Pets could be a useful tool in building community, and the policy has the necessary built-in provisions to ensure its success. Limiting the apartments that would house animals to one specific part of campus allows students who have allergic problems to animals or dislike pets to avoid a potentially undesirable situation. And requiring those who wish to participate in the program to obtain references is a good measure to ensure that students’ four legged friends are adequately cared for.
As Campus Council continues to look at ways to improve the student experience on Central there are several other policies it could pursue. Building off the success of Ubuntu’s section, incorporating more themed living on Central could create a better sense of community.
In addition, piloting a Faculty-in-Residence, similar to the existing program on East and West Campuses, would create additional space for interaction between students and foster a more intellectual environment.
And on a minor note, allowing students to have small personal outdoor grills could be helpful as they may be more inclined to invite friends over or make new ones over a few burgers.
From a programmatic standpoint, Campus Council could facilitate small, informal classes that teach practical life skills. All Central residents have a kitchen, so cooking or baking lessons would create another social venue.
In the end, focusing attention on the Central Campus experience is a prescient move beyond increasing its desirability as a living space. By building community and encouraging interaction, residents will get to know their neighbors. Over time, this could play a large role in dispelling the widespread perception of Central as unsafe.
Campus Council deserves credit for its efforts to improve life across all campuses, especially Central. Hopefully, innovative programs like Pets on Central will be just the beginning.