Football gets housing help from pilot program

Approximately 30 football players have obtained special campus housing this summer in Edwards Hall as part of a pilot program coordinated by the Center for Visitor and Conference Services. Normally athletic groups are not allowed to follow this route, but rather must find and apply for housing individually.

University students applying individually for summer housing on campus must go through the summer room draw on April 30, in which only rooms in Forbes and Foulke are available. In order to qualify for the draw, individual applicants must meet certain criteria — either working full-time for the University or conducting research for independent work — and are not guaranteed housing.

It is unclear whether the football players meet these criteria. They will be training for the fall football season under head coach Roger Hughes' direction.

"It is my understanding that all will be involved in full-time work or internship assignments or engaged in academic research and/or study while they are in the program," Vice President of Campus Life Janet Dickerson said. "My intent in approving this program was to expand opportunities for students who have legitimate reasons for remaining in Princeton during the summer."

The Center for Visitor and Conference Services does coordinate housing for a number of summer programs, such as sports camps for non-University students. Normally, only "recognized student organizations," are eligible to use University facilities, according to its website.

Under this pilot program, however, the Center worked with Hughes and Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67 to arrange housing for the football players. Hughes, who first secured approval for the program from Dickerson, will directly oversee the group as its administrative representative, a requirement for all summer programs on campus.

In separate emails to junior John Vermylen, who had privately investigated the matter on his own initiative, administrators discussed the details of the pilot program designed to provide housing for these 30 athletes.

"The football group will be paying the same rate ($114 per week) as summer contract holders," Eric Hamblin, Director of the Center for Visitor and Conference Services, said.

Some students, most notably Vermylen, perceived that the pilot program gave these football players an unfair advantage in summer housing.

In an email to Hamblin, Vermelyn said, "I am dismayed that Conference Services would approve of a plan for a select group of undergraduates to live on campus this summer."

Students who will be researching this summer also felt the handling of summer housing in this arena as unfair.

"I guess they didn't have other alternatives, but then the university should guarantee that all students waitlisted be provided with rooms," Silvia Piccinotti '06 said, who is staying in Foulke Hall over the summer while she does research for the psychology department. "And the rooms should compare in sizes with the ones in Edwards."