Students responses to an open online survey will be analyzed and used as a source of input for Cornell’s housing master plan, according to Cornell media relations specialist Daryl Lovell.
The Division of Student and Campus Life sent online surveys to a random sample of students on March 18. The survey, which collects the student body’s opinions of the current housing system, will close March 30, Lovell said.
The University is in the midst of researching the master plan, which will guide Cornell’s efforts to accommodate housing for undergraduate and graduate students. The plan is Cornell’s first in-depth study of its housing system since the 2008-09 economic crisis, according to a University press release.
3,900 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students — living on and off campus, in Greek life and unaffiliated with Greek life — received the survey, according to Lovell.
Many undergraduates struggle with freshman room selection, said Lily Englert ’19, listing pressing problems with Cornell housing.
“My friend and I both got bad time slots [during freshman room selection] and had to block with someone we didn’t know very well,” Englert said. “It was very stressful.”
Similar questionnaires have been sent to students in a complementary research project by freshmen in the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars program, according to Marty Rauker, senior director of strategic initiatives for Student and Campus Life.
The Division of Student and Campus Life has also created student focus groups that discussed undergraduate housing needs earlier this month, according to the release.