Due to an expected 150 student increase to the freshman class of 2029, Stanford’s Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) has expanded housing for undergraduate students, changing two dorms to four-class residences: Junipero and Sally Ride.
This increase in enrollment was announced by University president Jonathan Levin ’94 during a Faculty Senate meeting on April 10. Levin said that the “creation of educational opportunity” is an “important response” to the national uncertainty regarding federal funding of universities.
“The fact of the matter is that we turn away many, many qualified students. It’s within our capability to educate more of them and to share the knowledge that we create in more expansive ways,” Levin told the Senate.
Previously, Junipero, located in Wilbur Hall, and Sally Ride, located in Stern Hall, were upperclass dorms only. Next year, an expected 50% of the rooms will be filled by incoming freshmen.
“R&DE worked with our partners in Student Affairs to identify where the additional frosh would be assigned. Junipero and Sally Ride were chosen because they are locations that have predominantly one room doubles,” R&DE spokesperson Jocelyn Breeland wrote in an email to The Daily.
“Frosh will be assigned to these residences according to the process outlined in the Approaching Stanford information they will receive over the summer. The locations of frosh rooms within these residences will be determined by [Residential Education],” Breeland wrote.
Undergraduate students at Stanford are guaranteed four years of on-campus housing, and all freshman housing assignments are made in random order. The freshman dorm experience is defined by a strong sense of community and traditions, such as “on calls” on Friday and Saturday nights and dorm trips funded by the University and at times, additional student payment.
“We’re thrilled to welcome frosh into the Junipero community. The frosh housing experience at Stanford is so special, and it’s an honor to be part of it,” Cynthia Bailey, Junipero resident fellow (RF) and senior lecturer in computer science, wrote to The Daily.
A current Junipero resident assistant (RA), who requested anonymity for fear of professional retaliation, said they were “surprised” by the decision to make Junipero a four-class dorm, “given that it’s one of the only dorms left in Wilbur that does have upperclassmen.”
“I can tell you that a frosh dorm is a lot more work; it’s a lot more intensive, and I think the energy in the dorm is very different than an upperclass dorm,” the RA said. “There have been dorms that have done really well with it and definitely others that have struggled quite a bit with it.”
The RA shared that not all six Junipero RAs have been hired for the next year, which they believe influenced the decision to change the makeup of Junipero.
“I was a little surprised that [R&DE] was giving them frosh, just because [the RFs] are so new to it,” the RA said. “But, I wish them the best of luck and that they find the community balance they want.”