Colleges vie for upperclassmen

As room draw gets underway this week and rising upperclassmen sift through the array of housing options available to them, the four-year residential colleges opening next year have stepped up their efforts to impress prospective residents.

Whitman and Mathey colleges have engaged in "various information and outreach" programs since the beginning of the year, Steven Lestition, dean of Mathey College said.

As part of these recruitment efforts, the Mathey College office sent an email Wednesday to prospective Mathey-ites who placed their names on the Mathey College draw list.

"We would like to thank you for your interest in drawing into Mathey College by presenting you with a Mathey-Rocky T-Shirt," the email said. "Please stop by the College Office this week to pick up your complimentary shirt. We look forward to seeing you soon!"

The email listed the renovations that the college will undergo before reopening as a four-year college next fall, including a new dining hall and menu, as well as a newly renovated library, common room and computer cluster.

"Because [room draw] is still ongoing, we thought it was a good time to send out another email," Lestition said.

It is not clear which of the two residential colleges is more popular, however, though Whitman seems to have generated more buzz. Mathey College staff declined to comment on Mathey's appeal relative to Whitman.

Todd Aldinger '09, who placed his name on both the Mathey and Whitman draw lists, said he did not plan on drawing into Mathey unless he got an exceptionally good draw time. "Whitman looks a lot nicer, even with Mathey's renovation," he said. "The renovation doesn't really have an effect on me."

USG president Rob Biederman '08, who also was on both the Mathey and Whitman draw lists, drew a five-room quad and a single in Whitman with his group of friends. "Mathey College is great, but we were very excited about the new Whitman College," he said. "Whitman is exciting and fun and it gives the chance to be part of something that is just beginning." He added that he was unaware of the renovations planned for Mathey.

But Aaron Schneider '09, who currently lives in Mathey, said that he would prefer to stay there "all other things being equal."

"I don't know that much about Whitman, but it also seems like everyone else wants to draw into Whitman," he said, adding that he would also feel more comfortable staying in the same college with people he knows. "So there's more of a chance of getting a good room if I stay in Mathey."

Meanwhile, Lenny Shulgin '08 eschewed both the Whitman and Mathey draws he had signed up for because he wanted to remain a member of Colonial Club and was uncertain that he would be able to get a shared meal plan. Shulgin added that he treated his residential college draws as backup options, saying that he was going to "fall back" on Mathey or Whitman if he got a bad upperclass draw time.