Earlier this fall, leaders of PALANA, Middlebury’s Pan-African, Latinx, Asian, and Native American multicultural student organization, said they were informed by the Student Activities Office (SAO) and Residential Life (ResLife) that the group is at risk of losing its social house, also known as Palmer House, on 260 Ridgeline Road. SAO and ResLife expressed concerns over the occupancy rate of the house by PALANA members, which has fallen in recent years, according to PALANA Co-President Fany Yepiz Medina ’26.
Executive Director for Student Engagement Valerie Nettleton said that PALANA is thriving as a student organization, but underperforming as a social house. ResLife expects that rooms in social houses be filled primarily by members of its corresponding student organization so that each house can offer a cohesive living experience, Associate Dean for Student Life AJ Place confirmed.
“The concern is a progressive drop in the residency of [PALANA’s] members over the past few years,” Nettleson said. “Currently out of 30 beds in that house, four are occupied by PALANA members.”
Before each term, student organizations submit rosters that indicate how many of their members will live in their social house. ResLife then releases any unfilled beds into the regular housing lottery for non-members.
Roster data provided by Place show that PALANA’s member-occupancy rate has declined sharply over the past five years. In the 2021-22 academic year, 96% of beds in the house were filled by PALANA members. By the 2023-2024 academic year, that figure had dropped to 16% and fell again to 13% for the current 2025-26 academic year.
The average member-occupancy rate for social houses other than PALANA has varied each year, but is currently at 85%.
The number of total students living in the PALANA house has also declined. Twenty-one students currently live in the house, down from 27 in the 2024 fall semester 29 in the 2023 fall semester.
Nettleton said that SAO and Reslife are not seeking to close PALANA, nor are they in conflict with the organization's leadership. Rather, she said, both are focused on helping PALANA recruit more students to live in the space.
“We don’t want to see the house close,” Nettleton said. “Our focus is really how we can help support PALANA.”
Nettleton explained that when students that are not part of a social house place themselves in one through the lottery housing process, issues in the house can arise.
“It also changes the overall house experience from its intended purpose, and we often hear concerns from students selecting those open spaces [in PALANA] since they are not members and do not want to change the intended experience by living there as non-members,” Nettleon said.
In a post on the organization’s Instagram account, PALANA clarified their determination to keep the house.
“The SAO and Reslife are questioning if the house is still fulfilling its purpose: to provide a welcoming community for those who identify as part of a minority group and for all who appreciate the rich diversity of cultures represented at Middlebury,” the post reads.
The post encouraged viewers to join and live in PALANA and outlined other strategies for keeping the house, including boosting turnout at events and actively voicing concerns about the situation to administrators. Alumni quickly responded in the comments, offering support for students and concern about the possible loss of the college's only residential space dedicated to students of color — a house many described as an important part of the college's history since its founding in 1991.
“Nothing felt better than coming home to Palana and my people there,” an alum who said they lived in the house in 2006 commented. “It was my saving grace.”
Oversight of social houses shifted from Community Council to the SAO and ResLife in recent years. Nettleton said the current executive structure has not yet formalized any process for reallocating a social house to another student organization.
Nettleton acknowledged the anxiety felt by student leaders, and said that she and Place are glad they have received supportive feedback from the community.
“They feel a responsibility to their community, so [the problem] can feel scary,” Nettleton said. “Both [Place] and I are really glad that they are receiving a very positive, responsive support from that kind of rallying.”
Medina shared that PALANA will post on its usual communication channels if any further changes occur.
Hugo Zhang '28 (he/him) is a News Editor.
Hugo previously served as an Online Editor. He intends to major in Economics and Geography. He enjoys cartography, traveling, and history. Last summer, he studied at Sciences Po Paris and traveled across Europe. He has also conducted research on ethnic minority policies, economic transformation, and urban planning in Northeastern China, also known as Manchuria.
