Two program houses, Film House and Buddhist House, will be sold either this year or next as the University continues its plan to bring residences closer to campus. The residences currently house a combined total of over 30 students, mostly sophomores, and are located near the corner of Washington Street and Vine Street. Plans for relocation are still up in the air, but it is clear that students will not be living in these houses next year.

“The University’s plan is to minimize student housing that is further removed from the center of campus,” said Director of Residential Life Fran Koerting.

To this end, the plan calls for the sale of more than 40 houses on the outer edges of campus over the next several years. Koerting cited the construction of the Fauver dorms and the sale of In-Town as other moves designed for similar reasons.

“One of the principles of our campus master plan is to create a residential community with better connections to the campus core,” said Director of University Communications Justin Harmon. “This aligns with a second goal of providing on-campus housing for all undergraduate students in a progressively independent living environment, with housing closer to the core of campus and improved indoor and outdoor social spaces.”

The decision to sell the houses was developed over the past four years, along with the implementation of the campus plan. Wesleyan will take offers from prospective buyers who plan to use the buildings in a way that is compatible with the neighborhood.

The University will encourage faculty and staff members to buy these houses. In the past three years, over a dozen houses have been sold to Wesleyan faculty and staff members.

Current residents and program members have not been officially notified of the plan, but most are aware of the strategy. Students agree that the houses are far from campus.

“I don’t mind it this year, but of course I’d much rather live on High Street or Fountain Street,” said Constance Smith ’08, house manager of Film House. Director of Program Housing Dawn Brown informed her of the decision a few weeks ago.

“We were promised a space for next year, but not necessarily a house,” Smith said. “There was talk of remodeling part of a dorm and putting us there, which is a little disturbing. Being a program in a dorm would not work.”

Other residents acknowledged the inconvenience of being far from campus, but did not take it too seriously.

“It may be a bit far, but I enjoy the daily exercise, it helps me get up in the morning,” said Ben Smyser ’08 who lives in Film House.

The trip to campus proved more daunting for others.

“The distance can be a pain, especially in the rain,” said Daniel Meyer ’08, a resident of Buddhist House. “It is a beautiful house though, a great place to live.”

The current plan calls for the sale of three to five houses a year for the next ten years. Eventually, the University intends to sell all of the houses north of Washington Street.

“Many of these homes were purchased at a time when the University’s enrollment was outpacing our housing capacity,” Harmon said. “Our current plans are to maintain a steady enrollment. Many of these homes are more than 100 years old, have no insulation, and are extremely costly to maintain and heat. Furthermore, they do not meet today’s standards for fire safety and handicap accessibility.”