Skyhall move bad decision for transfers
The decision to group 280 incoming State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry freshmen and approximately 60 Syracuse University transfer students in the SkyHalls in the Fall of 2009 is most beneficial for the ESF students and disadvantages the transfer students.
Incoming ESF freshmen have traditionally been scattered in Sadler and Flint halls, where the ESF learning communities are currently located. The plan to place the next class of freshmen together could possibly strengthen their class bonds.
The move will give the ESF freshmen the chance that the previous housing situation of ESF student prevented. It gives them the chance to form a stronger and cohesive community.
The major, but surmountable disadvantage of the move is the distance of the SkyHalls to the ESF campus. The students will have to take the bus to main campus and then walk through the SU campus to get to ESF. As long as SU follows through with a new bus schedule to accommodate the students, the issue of distance can be taken care of.
For the SU transfer students, it’s the opposite story. Placing transfer students in one location only isolates them. New SU students should be integrated into the SU community. Transfer students should not be treated as a special case and sectioned off from the rest of the university. They should be allowed to integrate into the mainstream communities with other students in all different dorms. This way, transfer students can feel more like welcome members of the university, not a separate group caught in transition between schools.
