In fall 2015, currently enrolled CC/SEAS undergraduates who do not live in the residence halls will be able to apply online for swipe access into the CC/SEAS undergraduate residence halls during the academic year. Commuters must be in good judicial standings in order to receive swipe access into the halls. If swipe access is granted, access will apply from the first day of class to the last day of finals each semester. When applying, commuters will agree to the terms of the Guide to Living while in the halls and will be held accountable to these standards.  The full policy will be available in the Guide to Living during summer 2015.

Currently, commuters need to be signed into undergraduate residence halls by a CC/SEAS resident host. In fall 2014, the Presidents of CCSC and ESC began exploration to re-instate commuter swipe access, which had been eliminated during summer 2013.  In 2013, rationale for eliminating CC/SEAS swipe access included safety, security, and access to amenities offered in the residence halls.   Additionally, the policy was meant to create a consistent access policy across the four undergraduate schools.

In this instance, the impact of the policy change differed vastly from the intent. CCSC and ESC leaders continued to explore this issue throughout fall 2014. In speaking with CC/SEAS commuters, the CCSC and ESC Student Body Presidents found that these students have a range of reasons for moving off-campus: some “commuters” live in buildings within a 10 block radius of campus, others took leaves and no longer were guaranteed housing, and others chose to live off-campus as a cost saving measure. Regardless of the reason, commuters reported, and residents agreed, that the limited access into the residence halls created an enormous division within the CC/SEAS community, for this access had regularly been utilized for convenience in visiting friends, to attend study groups, club meetings, and printing between classes.

The CCSC and ESC passed resolutions and, in March 2015, brought forward a proposal to the Dean of Undergraduate Student Life and representatives from Columbia Housing, Public Safety, and Facilities. The resolution received support from the Dean of Undergraduate Student Life and Deans Valentini and Boyce, in addition to key partner offices such as Housing, Public Safety, Judicial Affairs and Community Standards, the Center for Student Advising, and Facilities.

Moving forward, we hope to continue to foster similar collaborations around issues that deeply impact student and community life.

Cristen Kromm, Dean of Undergraduate Student Life
Peter Bailinson, CCSC Student Body President
Brian Wu, ESC Student Body President