One of the worst welcomes a UF student can receive is "permanent triple." Probably the second worst welcome they could receive would be telling them they have to room with a cross between a peer, a Mother Hen and an authority figure.
Because of overcrowding, Resident Assistants and regular ol' dorm dwellers are being paired up in living arrangements that we imagine can only be described as one half-step up from Dante's Inferno.
UF has had a problem with overcrowding on-campus living facilities before, but this is a new low. We have to wonder why UF keeps ignoring the capacity of its dorms and doing nothing to solve the problem. The fact that RAs are now relinquishing one of the main perks of their job just shows that the overcrowding problem is getting worse before it gets better.
It's just false advertising. When someone is hired for a job, they should be aware of what they will receive as payment for their duties. Taking away what we would imagine is one of the few perks of an RA's job is the same as hiring someone for $10 an hour and then only paying them $7.
It's also unfair to the underclassmen who are dragged into this unfortunate setup. Nowhere on the UF housing Web site does it mention the possibility of being in a room with someone who is essentially in charge of you. It also omits a line about how if one chooses to live on-campus, he or she might be paying UF for a bundle of stress. One might say that the underclassmen could just switch to an off-campus apartment if the situation is truly that problematic. However, they would still have to depart with their housing deposit, which UF is refusing to give back to those who opt out of their housing contracts. It's like buying a television at Wal-Mart, opening the box to find a VCR and then being refused a refund. Basically, it's not right.
Our hearts go out to the RAs who have to watch half of their room become desecrated with life-size posters of Tim Tebow, campus maps and other freshman regalia. And, of course, our hearts go out to the freshmen who have to deal with never having anyone want to hang out in their dorms, ever. But a line of consolation to them: Go wreck someone else's room when you're partying instead. You might even be thankful after a year of coming back to a room that is soaked in rubbing alcohol.
