Change is inevitable.

Every five years, Guilford evaluates and amends its judicial system. The efficacy of its processes is analyzed, and the system changes to best meet the needs of the student body. It is conscious reform that cultivated our current restorative justice approach.

But what about those other on-campus systems that could benefit from re-evaluation?

As it stands, campus meal swipes don’t allow meals to roll over from breakfast to lunch or lunch to dinner. Students aren’t capable of swiping for a meal in the same eatery more than twice within an allotted time. This all too often translates into meals that we have paid for but are not permitted to access. A meal system that steals our money should be reformed.

And what about the lagging Internet and BannerWeb crashes that plague class registration each semester? General education requirements haven’t been revised in years. The school’s tenure system is outdated and more systematic than it is rewarding. Can we please revise our pet policy (hedgehogs are awesome!)? More than anything, we need to evaluate the housing process.

Every year, students must choose an on campus living arrangement. When enrollment was high, this was a non-issue; costs were reasonable in conjunction with the price of tuition. However, as enrollment drops, the price tag on dorms and apartments rises. This has a direct effect on students who can no longer afford that price tag, and seek other living options.

For example, a 2011-2012 student living in the Apartments paid $3,960 (North) and $4,090 (South) per semester. If this amount were broken down into rent payments, a student would have to pay a monthly balance of $792 for the North Apartments and $818 for the South Apartments.

Let’s compare these fees to those of an off-campus apartment, shall we?

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom Westborough apartment averages $789 per month. For the ever-ritzy Legacy Apartments, residents pay $860.

What do all of these numbers mean? The price of living off-campus is cheaper than that of living on-campus in some cases. But Guilford College doesn’t want us to have that penny-pinching option. Instead, students who wish to live off-campus must submit separate applications to Residence Life.

But wait! Before you start filing for cheap housing in a cozy place across West Friendly Ave., make sure you meet one or more of these requirements:

88 earned credit hours completed prior to the semester during which student is submitting the request to live off campus;

21 years of age before the next semester begins;

Living with a parent or legal guardian within 50 miles of Guilford campus;

– Married;

– Custodial parent of a child living with you;

– Part-time status (below 12 credit hours);

– ADA accommodation

For a school that prides itself on accommodating its students, paying money to install a pretty fountain instead of finding ways to cheapen housing costs or maintain our freedom seems incongruous.