What do we gain, and lose, when residential life moves off-campus? Plus, what should off-campus students expect this spring semester?
Housing has always been an integral element of Harvard student life. From the distinct personalities of the upperclassmen Houses to intramural sports and Housing Day, Harvard places a high priority on making residential life feel communal and special. And, historically, they’ve been successful. Almost every Harvard student will remember hearing one of Harvard’s favorite taglines at some point during their admission process: 98% of all Harvard students live on campus. Or, more accurately, lived.
Since March 15th, 2020, a maximum of about 50% of Harvard students have been able to reside on campus at a time, leaving the other half of the community to make alternate arrangements. In the fall, the freshman class was invited to move onto campus for the first time. This spring semester, the seniors—and the juniors, per a last-minute decision—were invited to return. Special considerations were made for athletes and other students who requested on-campus housing. Excepting Covid-19 regulations and a mandatory quarantine period, move-in has been close to normal for members of the Harvard Community.
For some, though, this transition back to ‘campus’ has been anything but standard. Sophomores, freshmen, and upperclassmen who’ve elected to live off-campus in the Cambridge area have traded dorms for apartments and AirBnBs. With online classes providing unique flexibility, what prompted them to move into Harvard’s backyard?
For sophomore Tobias Edelstein ’23, who was not given the opportunity to live on campus either semester, his motivation centered around normalcy. “I knew other kids from school would be [in Cambridge],” he explained, and added that, “it wasn’t going to be a traditional college experience, but it was the next best thing.” Carli Cooperstein ’24’s reasoning was similar: “My friends and I decided to live in Cambridge [in the spring] as opposed to elsewhere because we haven’t even had a full year of the Harvard experience and want to get the most out of this semester!”
As for what to anticipate in the realm of off-campus living this spring, there is a precedent. The first wave of off-campus living began in the fall, with a small portion of the student population moving into properties scattered across Cambridge, Allston, Somerville and Boston. Perhaps the best indication of what to expect in the spring can be derived from their experiences. Josie Coleman ’23 lived in Cambridge with friends this fall; speaking on the experience, she said she felt like she was afforded “a lot more freedom due to less supervision [than in dorms].” On the other hand, though, “you’re not as immersed in the Harvard community living off-campus”. Another sophomore lived with her blockmates near campus and described the experience as “great”. She added, “it was so nice to be able to walk through the square again… and feel a connection to Harvard.”
Harvard is trying its best to foster this connection, too. This spring, off-campus students will be able to borrow books from Harvard libraries, receive HUIT support, on- and off-site access to HUHS and CAMHS, as well as various other resources listed on Harvard’s ‘Off-Campus Students Page’.
Further, an important consideration for many off-campus students is the risk of Covid infection. As of January 8th, 2021, Cambridge’s official Covid-19 count reported a case rate (cases per 100,000 people) of 37.1, the highest the city has seen in the entirety of the pandemic. Harvard aims to mitigate this concern by offering free weekly Covid testing. Cooperstein mentioned she’d be participating in the program, explaining that “having a regular testing schedule takes off some of the stress of living away from home during COVID and makes socializing feel safer”. Off-campus housing inevitably lends itself to larger, less-supervised gatherings, and partaking in regular testing is a good way to keep transmission rates low and to protect the Cambridge community.
With some students settled into their off-campus housing already, and others yet to move in, it may be too soon to gauge how the spring will compare to the fall, but students are hopeful that it will live up to expectations. Josie Coleman ’23 “look[s] forward to creating an off-campus experience unique from past semesters”, touching upon the breadth of opportunity for off-campus students to explore the surrounding city and enjoy a change of pace from dorm life. Plus, the promise of a spring climate is appealing; one student said, “I think with warmer weather it will be great to get outside more, and I am hoping more of my friends who I haven’t seen since last March will be in the area and we’ll be able to connect!”.
While the reality of spring off-campus living may still be up in the air, one thing is certain; this semester, there will be more students living off campus than ever before. Is this trend merely a pandemic phenomenon, or could it be a continuing tendency? Do the benefits of off-campus living outweigh the traditional on-campus experience? Edelstein doesn’t think so. “[Living off campus,] I had my own bathroom, bedroom and kitchen… my own personal space. But I’m willing to give that up for a normal college experience again.”
Harvard’s off-campus resource page reads “No matter where you are, you are Harvard,” reminding us that the true value of Harvard has always been in its student body and not in its physical campus. With that in mind, when we can do so safely and responsibly, I think we’re all ready to come home.
Ryan Stanford ’23 (rstanford@college.harvard.edu) writes news for the Independent.