As the Department of Residence searches for a new director and considers the experience and qualifications of each candidate, it’s also important to think ahead about the changes both the DOR and the new director will have to make in order to increase occupancy and quality of life within the residence halls. The DOR has been adrift for much of the last year, and to right the ship, the new director, whomever it may be, should consider making several changes. Among them:

Abandon Fresh Start-type programs

All in all, Fresh Start was a disaster. Most students didn’t like it, key positions to its success (like academic resource coordinators) were eliminated because of financial problems and the program never really achieved its intended goal.

Re-evaluate dorm policies

Another reason the Fresh Start program was so unsuccessful was some of the rules and restrictions students were forced to follow. The dry Veishea policy should be eliminated and the weekend should follow the same guidelines as any other. Current non-Fresh Start alcohol regulations, that of dry, damp and wet rooms, should be uniform throughout the residence system. There’s no reason why residents of legal age should not be allowed to drink.

Visitation policies also need to be reconsidered. Currently, no dorm resident is allowed to have a guest of the opposite sex (excluding family members) stay in his or her room after 1 a.m. during the week and 3 a.m. on the weekends. Most students don’t respect this policy anymore because it’s rarely enforced. Why? Because it’s unreasonable. We’re in college — and not only does that sometimes include late-night study sessions, but it also means having a little freedom and not wanting to worry about getting in trouble when a friend of the opposite sex spends the night.

Communicate with students

With all of the recent residence hall closings, including Linden and all of Towers, students were often confused as to what was really going on. Plans for closures should be made well in advance, and the DOR should not make promises it can’t keep. Students deserve to know about the status of their residence, and don’t want to be left in limbo about where they’re living.

Think ahead

Unexpected closings and shuffling within the residence hall system could be solved by a coherent long-term plan. The DOR should work with the Admissions office and an outside consulting firm to formulate a five- or ten-year forecast for enrollment and plan DOR expansion or compression around those figures.

With new leadership, the DOR has an opportunity to shake itself out of the funk it is mired in and become a competitive, student-friendly option for college living.