College transfers deserve understanding

By Kern Vijayvargiya     1/14/10 6:00pm

As you may have already heard, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates has offered a limited number of students the option to transfer to Duncan College or McMurtry College at the beginning of the next academic year. The process was intended to populate the new colleges, which each currently boast one class, with upperclassmen - a necessary goal.But unfortunately, a seedy and despicable result has taken place. Instead of fostering a new sense of community within the new colleges, this process has engendered a wave of infighting within the other residential colleges.

It seems that some students feel that those seeking to transfer are displaying disloyalty to their original colleges. As a Jones College sophomore transferring to McMurtry, I witnessed the controversy reported in a recent Thresher article ("Transfer troubles arise," Dec. 4) firsthand.

I am not writing to weigh in on that matter; that time has passed. Rather, I would like to respond to the general angst that surrounds the transfer process. As one of the transferring students, I would ask my fellow Owls for understanding regarding this decision.

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A resident of Florida, I will admit I had never heard of Rice before applying to college. But upon reviewing my options, I felt most drawn to this school, with the residential college system as a particular standout.

It is true that each college offers a close-knit community and a sense of belonging. But what really distinguishes this system from a fraternity or sorority is the tangible unity between the various colleges. I had heard of the isolation and separation of Greek life at other institutions, but it was something I felt the residential college system would uniquely avoid. At Rice, our undergraduate experience is not defined by our individual college, but instead by the union of them.

When I matriculated, there were nine colleges; now, with the addition of Duncan and McMurtry, there are 11. These new colleges have already contributed, and will continue to add, to the diversity and spirit of our university, and I know that many transfers plan to help shape them.

I realize that some students have different motives for their decision to transfer. Some may hope to meet new people. Some may be transferring alongside a group of close friends. Some may simply be looking to avoid living off campus.

I am not here to argue for or against any of these individual reasons; every potential transfer must make his or her own deliberation. And the decision they reach must remain their own. Although we are all Owls, each of us came to Rice for our own reasons.

And this decision about whether to transfer is no different.

Aesop once wrote, "In union there is strength." These words reflect the significance of our residential college system. Every college houses its own students, uses its own coat-of-arms and follows its own constitution. Unlike students living in fraternities or sororities, we aren't urged to spend the majority of our time within our own college. Instead, we are able to make friends from across campus and appreciate each college for its own merits.

The Office of the Dean of Undergraduates has indicated that we are still below the required quota of transfers, the original goal being 130 and 150 students per college. As such, there will likely be a third round of invites, and this process will continue. Decisions will be made - some students will stay at their colleges and others will transfer.

It is my sincere belief that the majority of transfers love their original college, myself included. So to those who remain at the original colleges, don't think the new physical distance across campus will separate us. We value the friendships we have built, the stories we have shared and the life we have enjoyed. Although we leave to open a new chapter in our undergraduate education, we have no intention of closing the last.

Kern Vijayvargiya is a Jones College sophomore.

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