Belén Yudess & Charlotte Korer
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240 House, located on 10th Street near Steele Hall, will not be offered as a housing option for the 2025-2026 school year. According to an email from the Office of Residential Life on Feb. 25, 240 House “will remain off-line indefinitely.”
Josh Reeder, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Auxiliary Operations, expanded on this update via a statement to The Scripps Voice. “The 240 House is being removed in order to construct Scripps College’s new dance building, which is currently in the footprint of 240 House,” he said. “Replacement beds are being pursued to offset the loss of beds, which will be in place for students for fall semester 2025.”
Following this news, current 240 House residents expressed dismay over this decision.
“I was in complete disbelief, I had no idea this was in the plans for the future of Scripps housing, and I was really devastated when I found out,” said Maia Gutmann ’27, a former 240 House resident. “[Living in 240 House] was a fun experience and unique from the other housing options available.”
Sylvie Cromer ’26, a current resident, agreed with this sentiment and shared how 240 House has created a positive environment that promotes residential autonomy.
“We hosted a small party here a few days ago and I was saying how there aren’t very many spaces on Scripps where you can host a party,” said Cromer. “The environment and the way it’s a little removed from dorms [helps builds community in the house] so it’s just too bad that we would lose that.”
240 House, which can host up to 12 students, was added back to the list of available housing in the fall of 2023 after previously being used as a COVID-19 testing center during the 2021-2022 school year. Since its revival on the housing portal, 240 House has remained a popular residential spot for mainly upperclassmen who enjoy its structure and location.
“You get all the benefits of living in a house,” said Sajni Sheth-Voss ’26, another current resident. “And I think it’s the most fun I’ve ever had in Scripps housing. Especially as a junior, you get to choose and we’re living with all of our closest friends, so it’s kind of like the best of both worlds.”
Although not a resident, Sky Caldwell ’26 commented on their frustration regarding what the absence of 240 House signifies for housing draw as a whole. “I was furious when I heard,” they said. “I remember getting here freshman year and hearing about the [previous year’s] housing crisis. And the fact that Scripps continues to over enroll and not lend that care towards the students they have and the students that will be incoming but instead [are] focused on numbers and getting the money from that tuition [is ridiculous].”
The inclusion of 240 House during room draw came after the 2022 Scripps housing crisis in which a large portion of the class of 2025, who were rising sophomores at the time, were forced off campus to either the Claremont Collegiate Apartments (CCA) or apartments in College Park that Scripps had rented to offset the lack of on-campus options.
With this history in mind, many students were confused as to why Scripps would decrease its housing prospects. “I feel like instead of a plaza or an academic building, Scripps already doesn’t have that much housing, and I feel like this is a gem of student housing,” said Sheth-Voss. “This and the 709 House are Scripps specific, unique things. And then to tear them down and then not put housing [seems counterproductive].”
Sheth-Voss elaborated that the seeming lack of communication between Res Life and other on-campus offices also contributes to the stress surrounding housing.
“There’s not a lot of connection between Res Life and the study abroad office so those branches of admin cause a lot of problems. Especially for housing,” she said. “When we [Sheth-Voss and Cromer] were coming back from abroad, we couldn’t pick a roommate group, and [Res Life] didn’t know which juniors are abroad because they weren’t able to connect with the study abroad office to see who was gone.”
Caldwell noted the additional struggle they faced navigating the housing process with accommodations this semester. “They’re now requiring new letters for all students with housing accommodations, which they’ve never done in the past,” they said. “[I wasn’t able to] choose [my] top three buildings for housing accommodations anymore either … whereas students who don’t need housing accommodations get to choose what dorm building they’re going to live in.”
Assistant Director of Res Life, Danielle Turner, addressed these concerns and assured students that if they turn in their housing applications on time, they will be guaranteed Scripps-sponsored housing.
“For the 2025–26 academic year, the process for current students has not changed, and those who meet housing deadlines and eligibility requirements will receive Scripps-sponsored housing,” she said in a statement to TSV.
Turner also clarified where students can find resources regarding different components of room draw. “Since November, Residential Life has been sharing important details through information sessions (recorded and posted in the Housing Portal), roommate mixers, memos and newsletters sent to student emails (also viewable in the Housing Portal), Instagram posts, the Inside Scripps Residential Life website, and the Residential Life email signature, which has links to all recorded sessions and memos.”
Turner advised students who have questions to reach out to Res Life either via email ([email protected]) or in person in their office, which is located next to the Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) office.
“We strongly recommend that students read their emails to note important housing deadlines and processes, make sure their technology is functional, and become familiar with the Housing Portal and the Residential Life website,” she said. “The Campus Life office can help students troubleshoot tech issues and can tailor guidance to students’ individual questions.”
Photo Courtesy of Madeline Hertle ’27
