(Sid Goldfader-Dufty • The Student Life)
Last April, Pitzer College informed students in the class of 2027 who had not yet completed the room selection process that housing had reached capacity, leaving the remaining students on a waitlist. Despite this setback, all students ultimately received housing assignments by the end of the semester. Now, halfway through the current semester, students have adapted to their new living arrangements with mixed results.
The shortage was caused by an unexpected over-enrollment in the incoming freshman class, coupled with Pitzer’s contractual obligation to house all first-years in on-campus housing accommodations. Because of this, the school was forced to assign rooms to many first-year students in buildings traditionally reserved for upperclassmen, such as East and West Halls.
“When I first learned that I was assigned upperclassman housing, I was a bit confused and upset,” Anja Flannery PZ ’28, who lives in East Hall, said in an email to TSL. “Living in the first-year dorms that surround the pool sounded like a nice perk, and it was where I was told I would be living during [my] tour.”
The residence halls surrounding Pitzer’s pool — Pitzer, Atherton, Sanborn and Skandera Halls (PAS) — are traditionally occupied by first-years. Per PAS’ webpage: “This will be your home base your first year living at Pitzer.”
Flannery said that while her initial reaction to living in the East Hall was negative, she came to appreciate its perks.
“Now that I have gotten used to living here, I enjoy it and would not wish to live somewhere else,” Flannery said. “We have bigger dressers, more bathroom storage and great people on our floor.”
Her positive outlook was not shared by everyone, however. Thomas Merrilees PZ ’26, who was also placed in East Hall in his third year, said he was not happy to be there.
“You’re not closer to anything,” Merrilees said. “Even something like West or Skandera, you’re closer to Mudd field. East, you just have to walk further.”
Due to first-year students occupying rooms typically designated for returning students, many second-years and upperclassmen were unexpectedly assigned to the Claremont Collegiate Apartments (CCA), which are located off-campus.
In an email to TSL, Alexandria Nyx PZ ’26, who lives in CCA this year, said that they indicated CCA as their last choice on the housing form last spring.
“It’s always terrifying with housing because where you get housed can severely impact your living experience,” Nyx said.
Nyx said that their CCA apartment is less than ideal due to its size and quality of amenities.
“When I was walking in, I anticipated the room being kind of small, however, what I didn’t anticipate was the room being so small that it feels like I’m suffocating every time I’m in my apartment,” Nyx said.
As someone who likes to bake and cook to relieve stress, Nyx said they are struggling since the apartment has lackluster kitchen facilities — no oven, poor ventilation and a shallow sink.
“Pitzer as a whole consistently fails its students financially, academically and emotionally, all the while charging us an arm and a leg,” Nyx said. “Pitzer is nothing but a trap that sacrifices the well-being of its students in the interest of more money, while also simultaneously never having enough of it in the first place.”
Nyx also noted that their accommodations allowed them to request a single, and because singles are more common at CCA than on Pitzer’s campus, this limits the available housing for students with such accommodations.
In addition to accommodations, some students say gender can also complicate an already cumbersome housing selection process. Ezra Levinson PZ ’27, who is transfeminine, said they were placed in an all-male suite their freshman year on a male-dominated floor.
“That was a really uncomfortable situation for me,” they said.
Levinson had hoped to get a jump start on their housing process last spring to avoid a similar outcome, only to find that their gender marker was incorrect.
After initially being placed in an all-male suite again, Levinson underwent a complicated process working with Pitzer’s Data, Systems and Integrations team and the Registrar and Residence Life Office to find a housing placement that worked.
“They offered me at first an on-campus alternative and then it turned out, unsurprisingly, because campus is so packed this year, there was no on-campus alternative [so] they offered me a CCA single,” Levinson said.
Levinson noted that CCA is not ideal for students who do not own a car. They also added that although it’s been nice to have their own space, they wish they could experience the community that comes with an on-campus housing experience.
Pitzer’s housing page reads, “Our campus living is at the heart of the experience, with most of our students calling one of our six vibrant residence halls home. This isn’t just about having a place to sleep; it’s about creating a shared space where ideas and learning flourish in a supportive and diverse community.”
For those in unconventional and unexpected housing situations, the ability to enjoy Pitzer’s residential community seems to vary.
“I also have heard such wonderful things from friends of mine about what it’s like to live in a dorm with other people when that’s an environment that’s supportive and affirming, and I think that’s something that’s a lot harder to achieve as a gender non-conforming student, but it must be possible,” Levinson said.
They emphasized the positive role that on-campus housing plays for many students.
“I think college students live in dorms because that’s part of the college experience,” they said. “It’s a part that I want.”
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