Hi all, Thanks for your support. Tomorrow the administration is expected to come out with decisions for some individuals who have asked for housing. Attached is an email we have sent to the administration, urging them to respond to our demands and more explicitly reach out to students in need to offer help. Thanks---The Coalition ------------------------------------------------------------ Dear President Spar and Dean Hinkson and Dean Tollinchi, Hi, this is the Barnard Coalition for Financially Insecure Students; emailing you in regards to the anticipated decisions on student housing requests tomorrow [Monday]. We are aware that in the past week or two, students have been meeting with you to discuss winter housing. We also are aware that for students who requested housing and perhaps also funding---that you should be sending out decisions based on your consideration of these requests tomorrow. In light of this development, the members of our coalition thank you for your receptiveness to our concerns. In the face of both student and faculty push-back, the administration has gone from stating that there will be “no exceptions” to the policy change, to "considering requests" from students. We appreciate your receptiveness. Considering that, the coalition would like to also acknowledge to you all of the dozen-or-so wonderful faculty, contingent faculty, and staff who have gone out of their way to actively support this cause. However, please note that responding to the inquiries of individual students doesn’t exactly meet our demands. In the last email sent out to students, it is noted by Dean Hinkson: “[Dean Tollinchi] will work with each of [the students who have not figured out their winter plans] to help resolve [their] individual situation.” It is important to note that not all students who need housing understand that they can request to meet Dean Tollinchi to obtain housing. For example, our coalition members have met people over the past few days who are housing-insecure, but didn’t realize that talking to Dean Tollinchi could help them secure housing. Unless students are active on Facebook, or personally know one of the organizers, there is a good chance that they don’t realize that they can ‘ask’ for help. We urge the Deans to send out an email to students making it explicit that if they are housing-insecure/facing homelessness for the winter break, that they can talk to Dean Tollinchi (not just for help figuring out plans, but explicitly to help obtain housing). If the administration fails to make it clear that they are offering housing assistance, our Coalition does have the email address list-serve of roughly 2145 students, and we are happy to let students know that the administration is offering help. We also urge the creation of a standing policy that lets students know that if they are in need of housing assistance (not merely: help figuring out their plans for the winter), that the administration can assist. Thanks in advance. We hope that the decisions made on Monday are favorable to Barnard College’s students, particularly the most vulnerable students on campus. We also hope that you understand that individual ‘decisions’ are not a panacea. We look forward to a formal response to our demands. Best, The Coalition