n This is in response to Patrick Gillooly’s perspective about the housing selection process (“Warren Towers not the Ritz (or Hyatt), but it beats being homeless,” April 25, pg. 7). Three words: STOP YOUR WHINING.
The freshman and sophomore complaints about the “unfair” housing system are just as inevitable as Chancellor Silber’s off-color remarks. Let me give you a little lesson in life, Patrick: life is not fair. You succeed in life by networking and making contacts. The more people you know, the larger your pool of resources and the higher the probability that you’re going to get what you want. That is a basic principle of succeeding in business, is it not? I’m sure you SMGers out there would agree with me. So, if you don’t make the effort to “one-up” the competition, you are going to get left behind. I guess that’s what happened, right Patrick? You see, in the real world, you can’t go crying to Mommy and Daddy every time you get picked last for the kickball team.
Furthermore, your principal suggestion to correct the housing system, restricting rising sophomores from being pulled in to residences by upperclassmen, is absolutely ludicrous. All that suggestion does is reflect your own prejudices about the system because you got screwed. Personally, I would be extremely pissed off if I was denied the right to live with my friends on the sole basis that they are one or two years older then me. That is absurd, and I’m sure the majority of the student population would agree with me.
You’re basically arguing that, in addition to all the other stupid rules Boston University imposes on us (such as that ridiculous six-pack and liter of liquor rule), BU should create a system whereby there is a de facto rule regarding with whom you can live. Why in the hell would you propose that rising sophomores should be subjected to receiving a random roommate (because trust me, there are precious few singles out there) just because there is no one in their own class with whom they would like to live? If you don’t like the housing system at BU, then move off campus. Then you won’t have to deal with it. But, I would think twice about that one because I would rather live in Warren Towers than sleep with the rats in an Allston basement apartment.
Ken Burdon
CAS ’04
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