Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
In particular, we call for redress of the following points:
The plan to decrease the percentage of graduate students given campus housing will undermine the unique graduate community that has been established at Princeton. The housing plan places excessive pressure on older students, whose stipends are ending and who are struggling to finish their degrees. The plan does not recognize Princeton’s limited housing market, where affordable housing that allows regular access to Princeton facilities is simply unavailable.The various changes to the Housing Plan have occurred without transparency or explanation. We call for better communication from the Graduate School and Housing Office and increased consultation with graduate students about fundamental (rather than cosmetic) issues.The closure of Butler Apartments without specific plans for reconstruction is imprudent, unnecessary, and ignores the needs of graduate students with limited income, with pets, or with partners and/or children. We call for Butler to remain open until an adequate alternative is found.
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Updates
December 6, 2013
The silence from the Housing Office continues. We are currently coordinating a formal meeting request to force an actual explanation for these closures.
December 6, 2013
The momentum is undeniable now. University leadership can no longer ignore the scale of our frustration.
15 Comments
I would like to point out that the housing office's explanation to describe the closure of Butler is that it is being replaced by Lakeside. This is not actually the case. Hibben is being replaced by Lakeside, and Butler is not being replaced. The total capacity after Lakeside is open and Butler is closed will go down. Additionally, the fact that there are some units in Lakeside that are only moderately more expensive than Butler does not change the fact that Butler provided low-cost housing for a large number of students. Saying that the university's arbitrary target of x% of the student population being housed is still being met does not change the fact that the housing availability in Princeton is gong to decrease for graduate students and that additionally the pricing will increase.
Ever since Hibben went down looking for apartments around Princeton was an annual nightmare for me. Rental prices are rising, the summer rental frenxy is stressful. And guess where it all hits in the end - straight at our research performance, because now instead of focusing on work we focus on where to live, how to pay for it and how to get to our offices from the "conveniently" located commuter parking lots..
Little mention is made of the burdens of living off-campus for foreign students, without cars or drivers licenses. I fee that demolishing Butler and forcing our international community to commute for miles on NJ's un bike-friendly roads without providing an *equal* number of new units, is an unfair decision by the administration.
Why does Princeton want to increase enrollment in the graduate programs by 15% but cut housing availability for grad students in an area with incredibly overpriced housing and no real public transportation?
The affordability and community environment at Butler is especially important for graduate students who are married and have children. The cost of Lakeside will make it very difficult for those who are married and have children to survive with dignity.
I am against the tearing down of Butler Apartments
Keep Butler apartment!!!
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
In particular, we call for redress of the following points:
The plan to decrease the percentage of graduate students given campus housing will undermine the unique graduate community that has been established at Princeton. The housing plan places excessive pressure on older students, whose stipends are ending and who are struggling to finish their degrees. The plan does not recognize Princeton’s limited housing market, where affordable housing that allows regular access to Princeton facilities is simply unavailable.The various changes to the Housing Plan have occurred without transparency or explanation. We call for better communication from the Graduate School and Housing Office and increased consultation with graduate students about fundamental (rather than cosmetic) issues.The closure of Butler Apartments without specific plans for reconstruction is imprudent, unnecessary, and ignores the needs of graduate students with limited income, with pets, or with partners and/or children. We call for Butler to remain open until an adequate alternative is found.
Updates
December 6, 2013
The silence from the Housing Office continues. We are currently coordinating a formal meeting request to force an actual explanation for these closures.
December 6, 2013
The momentum is undeniable now. University leadership can no longer ignore the scale of our frustration.
15 Comments
Hibben Maggie apts were solid concrete affordable buildings located by the lake. All they needed is an update for better insulation. Instead of doing great with a solid building, PU replaced it with smaller buildings. They are more expensive, heating will cost more. The university seems to refuse to offer affordable housing to graduate students (in particular Butler which was still better quality than the typical room for rent in princeton), and force those who aren't big spenders to seek cheaper rents elsewhere. It's just bad.
I would like to point out that the housing office's explanation to describe the closure of Butler is that it is being replaced by Lakeside. This is not actually the case. Hibben is being replaced by Lakeside, and Butler is not being replaced. The total capacity after Lakeside is open and Butler is closed will go down. Additionally, the fact that there are some units in Lakeside that are only moderately more expensive than Butler does not change the fact that Butler provided low-cost housing for a large number of students. Saying that the university's arbitrary target of x% of the student population being housed is still being met does not change the fact that the housing availability in Princeton is gong to decrease for graduate students and that additionally the pricing will increase.
Ever since Hibben went down looking for apartments around Princeton was an annual nightmare for me. Rental prices are rising, the summer rental frenxy is stressful. And guess where it all hits in the end - straight at our research performance, because now instead of focusing on work we focus on where to live, how to pay for it and how to get to our offices from the "conveniently" located commuter parking lots..
Little mention is made of the burdens of living off-campus for foreign students, without cars or drivers licenses. I fee that demolishing Butler and forcing our international community to commute for miles on NJ's un bike-friendly roads without providing an *equal* number of new units, is an unfair decision by the administration.
Why does Princeton want to increase enrollment in the graduate programs by 15% but cut housing availability for grad students in an area with incredibly overpriced housing and no real public transportation?
The affordability and community environment at Butler is especially important for graduate students who are married and have children. The cost of Lakeside will make it very difficult for those who are married and have children to survive with dignity.
I am against the tearing down of Butler Apartments
Keep Butler apartment!!!
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Hibben Maggie apts were solid concrete affordable buildings located by the lake. All they needed is an update for better insulation. Instead of doing great with a solid building, PU replaced it with smaller buildings. They are more expensive, heating will cost more. The university seems to refuse to offer affordable housing to graduate students (in particular Butler which was still better quality than the typical room for rent in princeton), and force those who aren't big spenders to seek cheaper rents elsewhere. It's just bad.