In a policy to be instituted next fall, the Department of Residence will designate Richardson Court Association and Union Drive Association as primarily freshmen buildings, leaving room for approximately 25 percent upper-division students on each floor. Freshmen will get priority, but a letter written by Randy Alexander states that he “believes most of the students who wish to return as upper-division students to Union Drive or Richardson Court will be able to do so.” He goes on to say that it is “possible” that some upper-division students will not have a room on the floor.

More than 51 percent of Old Richardson Court consists of upper-division students. Between ten buildings there are 688 upper-division students and 641 freshmen. Yes, a few of them might have to leave.

This would make sense if the university were struggling with overcrowding in the halls. But there are currently 3,600 surplus dormitory beds at Iowa State, according to the residence department’s Web site.

The residence department also states that older students want less structure and staff contact than younger students, and that older students will live farther from campus if they can get a better living arrangement. This may be true, but why displace those who choose to live in the traditional residence halls?

The new focus on separating freshmen from upper-division students will help the residence department sharpen its focus, improve delivery of services, and improve the potential for student success, according to the Web site. It also infers that it will create a strong neighborhood and campus identity, which will help recruitment and retention.

It is hard to define a strong neighborhood. Is it the freshman struggling with calculus, knocking on an upperclassman’s door to ask for help? Is it a house banding together for 26 hours of scavenger-hunt madness for KURE’s Kaleidoquiz?

Is it the diversity fostered by students of different ages, backgrounds and experiences living together?

For many incoming freshmen, the student population at Iowa State far exceeds that of their hometowns. Older residents can help guide them through the ins and outs of college life, and students will learn that they can reach beyond their own year for friendships.

Many smaller colleges, such as Loras College in Dubuque, have all-freshmen dorms. But with an enrollment of 1,725 students, it is slightly easier to meet upper-classmen than at Iowa State, where massive first-year lectures and locked residence hall doors can be slightly intimidating.

As the residence department slowly siphons upper-division students into apartments, it may create a sense of community among freshmen, a group of students living together with the same classes, the same opportunities, the same learning curve. But then again, that’s the only type of residence hall community they will have the chance to know.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Katie List