I would like to clarify and correct some of the recent discussion in The Daily Princetonian about the University’s commitment to graduate student housing and the fate of the Butler Apartments. Providing graduate student housing is a priority for the University. (We provide much more than almost all of our peers.) When the University first announced plans to replace the Butler Apartments with the new Lakeside apartment complex, the news seemed to be welcomed by graduate students.
I appreciate the attachment that many graduate students and alumni have to the Butler Apartments. However, the general deteriorating condition of these barracks-style housing units, which were first installed in 1947, became clear years ago. The complex was coming to the end of its useful life, despite continuing efforts to keep it patched together. Besides the high cost of frequent structural repairs, most of the units have gas-fired wall heating units and neither sprinklers nor smoke alarm systems connected to the Department of Public Safety. Among other challenges, most apartments do not meet federal guidelines for accessibility. In all, it was becoming neither feasible nor cost-effective to continue maintaining the complex.
Given that reality and a desire to provide higher quality graduate student housing close to campus, a decision was made to construct new housing and discontinue the use of the Butler Apartments. This decision was made as part of a planning process that was initiated in 2004. My colleagues in the Graduate School office and I engaged graduate students in the planning process to shape the design of the Lakeside complex via student surveys and data gathered over a number of years. Two graduate students were part of the planning team, and the Graduate Student Government was involved at every stage of the planning process.
The planners sought to identify the kinds of units most desired by graduate students and their families, while being sensitive to costs. In making comparisons, one should note that a two-bedroom unit at Butler (620 square feet) is smaller than a one-bedroom unit at Lakeside (649 square feet), which surveys repeatedly showed to be preferable for graduate student couples. The Lakeside one-bedroom will cost only about $90 a month more for rent and utilities than the Butler tract predecessor, while the increase for most shared units for single students will be even less.
When Lakeside is ready and Butler is closed, the University will have the capacity to house 75 percent of eligible graduate students. This additional capacity was built into our planning to allow us to maintain our longstanding commitment to house 70 percent of eligible students for the next decade, even as our graduate student population grows over time. We will have more housing capacity than a decade ago, when the effort began to replace failing facilities, and substantially more than 20 years ago. Princeton graduate students will have more and better options than ever before.
In addition to providing greater proximity to central campus and other graduate student housing, the Lakeside complex is designed to promote a sense of community, evidenced by amenities such as volleyball and basketball courts, a children’s play areaand a community garden. The complex will also include a common lounge space, a fitness room, study spaces and a barbecue area. Pets will be welcome in many of the individual units and shared townhouses. Each unit will have a washer and dryer, and shared units will have multiple bathrooms. A new 504-space parking garage next to the complex will be available to graduate students and their guests. The new units will far surpass Butler in terms of quality, and they are being constructed in an environmentally friendly way, consistent with the University’s commitment to sustainability.
When the Lakeside project is complete, graduate housing will be sitting on approximately 20 acres of on-campus land, representing a substantial investment by the University in graduate student housing.
I know that many former Butler residents have fond memories of their time there, even as they recall the challenges of living in increasingly outmoded units originally intended for other purposes. My hope is that future residents of Lakeside will have equally fond memories of living in a community overlooking the lake, in units designed with them in mind and of a quality that provides accommodations that are safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable.
William B. Russel Dean of The Graduate School
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