Forced Migration

The administration has been remarkably tight-lipped about any structured plans for next year’s inaugural “January Experience,” the chunk of post-break January in which Harvard students are encouraged to do something productive rather than take an extended vacation. While the administration has been quick to provide ideas about how to spend the extra three weeks—study abroad, short internships, research, or intensive academic courses have all been presented as viable options—it has not promised the guidance necessary to bring these suggestions to life. In addition, January housing will now be limited to students with a demonstrated need to remain on campus. We worry that those attempting to spend free time in a productive, meaningful way will find this to be a very substantial obstacle.

January housing should operate on an “opt-out” framework. All students should have the default option of staying in their dorm rooms from the day after the end of winter recess to the day that marks the start of spring term. Many Harvard students will want (and ought to have the option) to spend their January working on extracurricular activities on campus or at jobs and internships in the Cambridge and Boston areas—two options that would be much less feasible without guaranteed campus housing. Renting an apartment is costly and more difficult for short time periods and would be especially challenging for students on financial aid.

Of course, the cost of maintaining the Houses and freshman dormitories during the entire month of January is high, and limiting available housing could save the College costs through heating, dining, electricity, and water bills. The College has not yet specified whether entire Houses will be closed, forcing students to move into “open” houses, or whether all students allowed to stay on campus would be permitted to live in their own rooms. The administration has stated that Annenberg would be the only dining hall to be open during the month. Making sacrifices to cut costs is, of course, a necessary measure for a January Experience that will presumably debut in an economic climate that is still unfavorable. Strictly limiting housing, however, is not the answer.

The College could minimize costs during January without resorting to drastic measures. To gauge how many students intend to stay on campus for their January Experience, the administration could conduct a survey early in the year and then decide how many dining halls, libraries, and other facilities to keep open during the interlude. Cutting back on the usage of such facilities would hopefully generate enough savings to allow every student wishing to remain at Harvard to live in his or her room.

Beyond cost-saving, the administration has additional reasons for limiting January housing. In an interview with The Crimson, Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds expressed concerns with having idle students on campus when no programming would be available for them. Unfortunately, this attitude reflects a lack of trust in the student body to find productive activities and stay safe, even when class work is not occupying student schedules.

The largest problem is that there is such a scarcity of concrete information that it is difficult even to understand the administration’s January plans. Many questions remain surrounding the current proposal. For example, will entire Houses be closed? And who specifically will be recognized as having a demonstrated need to stay? Will student groups receive housing if they plan to work on projects during January? We worry that many questions do not have concrete answers, which is troubling given the diminishing time left to make decisions.

While the creation of any new program in a university setting is bound to lack complete clarity, certain logistical aspects need to be articulated from the start. A plan for housing is an essential aspect of J-term. Moving forward, we hope that the administration will not only guarantee housing for students wishing to remain on campus but that it will also provide more general information about the program for students who will have to plan their month accordingly.