A quiet rumble can be heard on campus. It does not come from the planes overhead or the cars parking anywhere within walking distance. The students of the University of Massachusetts are making a noise, and now they have a unified voice.

The HOT club has found its way to UMass Boston to transform that rumble into a vox populi demanding what we need: Housing Options Today.

We believe that it is the inherent responsibility of the university to provide its students with a total education. Fundamentally, this education must provide for academic, professional, and personal development. As students in a unique, real-world experience, UMass Boston students are given the necessary skills and support to succeed academically. We are, however, limited in our professional, and denied in our personal development without more housing options within the campus community.

It is one of the most unfortunate truths about UMass Boston that the student body does not act as one. Day by day, far too many of us turn our heads down and ignore our surroundings, giving barely a thought to those with whom we share our campus. By not interacting with those classmates and fellow students we are denied the necessary inter-personal skills the modern workplace requires. The introduction of housing options within the campus community would help bridge this gap.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the UMass Boston’s campus is the concept of the “real world.” Students here live, work and learn in the real world. For us, college is not a four-year journey between high school and the real world. We experience it firsthand every day. Housing options within the campus community will enhance this experience.

Every student on campus has a unique story of what brought him or her to campus. Some of us are traditional students for whom UMass Boston was a first choice. Others have arrived here as transfer students. There are parents working on a degree to provide for families, professionals here to develop their careers, adults returning to academics after a long hiatus, and those who seek a career change. All of us call UMass Boston home. It is time to make it truly a home. There can be housing options for all of us.

Now is the time that we must turn our rumble into a roar. Students of the University of Massachusetts let your voice be heard. Demand nothing more than the best for and of yourself. Everyone has their own story of how they have come here, but we are now here together demanding what is right. We need Housing Options Today.