Barker residents:
 
In response to the confusion and concern expressed by many at our last house meeting, I took it upon myself to e-mail a "higher-up" within the Department of Residence. The person I contacted was John Shertzer, the Residence Life Coordinator for the Department of Residence.
 
My e-mail (as shown below) focused on questions particularly related to the 75:25 ratio and the Step Inside process. My intent was to acquire first-hand information from an administrative figure who would know correct facts behind the Fresh Start program and the Master Plan.
 
Please note that Shertzer's responses are woven throughout my e-mail and are in ALL CAPS.
 
Whether or not this is what you wanted to hear, the information forwarded to you should be up-to-date and accurate.
 
Sincerely, 
Adam
 
 
 
Forwarded Message:
To: "'Adam Jeremy Kuban'" <ajkuban@iastate.edu>
From: "Shertzer, John" <jshertz@iastate.edu>
Subject: RE: Fresh Start ?
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 12:48:18 -0600 
-----
Sorry for the delayed response Adam. My responses are in all caps below:
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Jeremy Kuban [mailto:ajkuban@iastate.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 9:37 PM
To: jshertz@iastate.edu
Cc: juden@iastate.edu
Subject: Fresh Start ?
 
Hi John:
 
Last night at my house meeting, grave concerns were 
expressed about the Fresh Start program. Apparently, a website (or a link from a website) currently explains the "nuts & bolts" behind the program and how it affects the residents.
 
THE WEBSITE YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS http://www.iastate.edu/~dor/planning.html. CLICK ON "MASTERPLAN INFORMATION." THIS SHOULD BE A HELPFUL WEBSITE TO YOU AND YOUR RESIDENTS.
 
There are SO MANY RUMORS in regards to this program! For instance, my residents believe the DOR intends to "kick them out of their rooms" in order to satisfy the 75:25 ratio of freshmen to upperclassmen. Now, at our training banquet last month, Randy Alexander assured the RAs, CAs, and ARCs that the vast majority of our residents would not be forced to leave RCA or UDA as a result of the Fresh Start program. In addition, I seem to remember him state that the 75:25 ratio was a general concept, that is, that ratio would be the goal of each association, not a strict figure to be observed within each house. So if one house has a return rate of 30% and another 20%, the average between those 2 houses creates the ideal percentage (25%).
 
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE FRESH START PROGRAM IS ONLY GOING TO BE IN UDA AND MAPLE NEXT YEAR.  HOWEVER, THE 75/25 PERCENTAGE THAT YOU REFER TO WILL BE TRUE IN BOTH THE UDA AND RCA. WE ARE GUARANTEEING THAT ALL FRESHMEN CAN LIVE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND OUR DATA INDICATED THAT THIS WILL MEAN THAT APPROXIMATELY 75% OF EACH HOUSE WILL BE FRESHMEN. OUR GOAL IS FOR THE 75/25 BREAKDOWN ON EACH HOUSE - SO EVEN IF ONE HOUSE HAS 90% FRESHMEN, THIS WON'T MEAN THAT ANOTHER HOUSE WILL HAVE 60% FRESHMEN. HOWEVER, WE AREN'T SURE WHAT THE BREAKDOWN WILL BE FOR CERTAIN, SO IT COULD BE 70/30 ON EVERY HOUSE. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WON'T BE ANY AVERAGING BETWEEN HOUSES. THE EXACT PERCENTAGE WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE SIZE OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS. 
 
Also, exactly how will Step Inside work in response to Fresh Start? There was some confusion behind that aspect as well. What if students do not have the recommended GPA? Is their chance to reclaim their room slim? 
 
STUDENTS THAT MEET THE 2.0 (CURRENT FRESHMEN) OR 2.5 GPA (SOPHOMORES AND OLDER) LEVEL WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS STEP INSIDE FIRST. SO, THEY WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF REMAINING ON THEIR CURRENT HOUSE. HOWEVER, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT AFTER THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE, THERE WILL MIGHT BE SPACE IN THE HALL OR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR RETURNERS THAT DON'T MEET THE RECOMMENDED GPA. YES -- SOME PEOPLE WON'T BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR HOUSE. BUT, WE'RE EXPECTING THAT THERE WILL STILL BE ROOM IN THE HALL OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. STUDENTS WHO ARE ON DEFERRED SUSPENSION OR REMOVAL WILL HAVE THE LAST OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN (BUT THAT'S ONLY A FRACTION OF OUR RESIDENTS).
 
I apologize for my ignorance, but traditionally, Barker House has a very high return rate. Many of my residents regard their neighbors as family, and the idea of someone about to "take away" their room does not appeal to them. 
 
WE HOPE THEY DO NOT VIEW THIS AS US "KICKING THEM OUT." WE THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RETURNERS, AND MOST STUDENTS WHO WANT TO RETURN WILL BE ABLE TO. HOWEVER, WE HAVE CREATED OPTIONS (WALLACE-WILSON AND FREDERIKSON COURT) THAT WE HOPE WILL APPEAL TO OLDER STUDENTS.
 
Please understand that I have tried to send correct information to my residents at house meetings and such, but due to recent rumors, I question the validity of my knowledge. The purpose of this e-mail is to receive detailed facts "straight from the horse's mouth." 
 
ARE YOU CALLING ME A HORSE? JUST KIDDING...
 
John, if you are certain you know the answers to these questions as well as the facts behind Fresh Start, please feel free to respond yourself. Otherwise, I wondered if you could forward this e-mail to Randy Alexander. Regardless, I plan to directly forward your (or Randy's) responses to my residents via our house webpage so that they have detailed information straight from a "higher-up." This way there is no chance that the facts you provide can be manipulated through the grapevine. 
 
I just want to set everyone in the right direction with the correct information. Thank you for your attention and your prompt response. I appreciate it.
 
NO PROBLEM!
 
Sincerely, 
 
Adam J. Kuban
Lyon Barker RA