There is absolutely no doubt about it; Northeastern was in desperate need of a new residence hall. With the size of the student body growing each year and the tuition costs rising just as rapidly, it only made sense that the next step was to construct new facilities.
I understand and I agree. What I don’t agree with is the university’s decision to throw literally millions of dollars at this new project, while, in effect, ignoring every other existing residence hall at Northeastern.

The most obvious example is the current state of the now infamous 337 Huntington Ave. dorm. Even before the cornice collapse, the building was in dire need of some significant renovations. As a former resident, I dealt with extreme temperatures, unreliable plumbing and some very unfriendly pests. While I understand that the age of the structure has plenty to do with it, I still believe much of it could have been, and more importantly, should have been, fixed.

The architects and planners of Parcel 18 (or ‘International Village,appeared to have figured out every possible way they could spend money – televisions in each piece of gym equipment, all-you-can-eat sushi and 22 floors of luxury.

When the cost of living there is roughly the same as living in the other, lesser dorms, shouldn’t it stand to reason that some of this new money be allocated to other halls as well? When the safety of the students comes into question, shouldn’t we all go without dining hall sushi?

It’s a well-known fact how much it costs to go to Northeastern. I love this school, and I don’t mind paying a little extra for that. But I do think it’s ridiculous how lopsided the university’s spending has become. It’s a community, not a caste system, and I think we all deserve the right to not live in fear of being hit by falling concrete.

‘ ‘- Samantha Wood is a middler English and journalism major.