The University of Rhode Island converted what once was commuter lounges into quads in Browning Hall to accommodate its large first-year class.
Beginning this school year, there is now one quad on each floor of Browning with a sign outside reading, “Cyber Lounge.”
First-year students Catherine Buma and Isabella Wilson were very confused when they received their housing assignments. Buma, Wilson, as well as Sydney Kimball and Tessa Simpson, said they got their email about their housing assignments and saw four names – but that was all they received.
“There were also no pictures of the dorm,” Buma said.
Students had to choose random roommates, with no information on how the quad would look, according to Buma and Wilson. They had to completely rearrange their room to fit them four roommates and all personal belongings.
Other students across campus have also been forced into triples in double rooms to accommodate for the incoming freshmen class according to Buma and Wilson. These students received a 20% discount on housing due to the lack of space.
Buma, Wilson, Kimball and Simpson received no discount on their housing, which they said confused them. Despite having enough room to live comfortably, Buma and Wilson said they had to replace their blinds. Additionally, some of their closets did not have shelves and there was no peep hole on their door.
Unsure how much each of them should pack, Wilson said she attempted to reach out to the Browning Hall housing director through email. After receiving no answer, Wilson attempted to call for her and her roommates.
“We called and they couldn’t really give us a definite answer.” Said Buma.
The girls are now tasked with moving their larger items back home, according to Buma and Wilson.
The newly converted dorm rooms are falling short in some of their amenities, Buma said. The lack of outlets is one of the biggest flaws within their dorm in Browning Hall.
“One thing we haven’t done yet which I’m actually surprised about is blowing a fuse,” Buma said.
After not being informed on the requirements for surge protectors, Buma said she and her roommates have cords running throughout the entire dorm. The lack of communication from URI bothered all four of them, as they had to go into this new form of housing in Browning Hall blind.
“I think they definitely did overaccept because I know this is their first year using this,” Wilson said.
The class of 2025 was historically the largest graduating class in recent United States history, which forced top universities across the country to become more selective, according to the New York Times. This trickled down to state schools such as URI because high schoolers – battling dropping admissions to Ivy League schools – had to turn to other options.
Through all of these hassles, the girls were thankful that they had enough space to accommodate all four of them, as they feared they may have been placed in a room only fit for two people.
“I quite enjoy the amount of space… I think they handled it well for what they had,” Buma said.
Even though they have found frustrating elements to taking residence in a once commuter lounge, Buma and Wilson said they are enjoying their living area and are making do with what they have.
