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In recent years, Stanford University has repurposed prime student housing into administrative offices, significantly reducing the availability of on-campus accommodations. Buildings such as Bechtel International Center, Mariposa House, and Attneave House—once vibrant student residences—now sit empty as administrative staff continue working remotely.
A Review investigation revealed that these buildings, which once housed students, remain eerily deserted during business hours. Over multiple visits, The Review found them completely unoccupied—offices meant to justify the displacement of student housing are now unused. This raises serious questions about Stanford’s decision to prioritize administrative expansion over student accommodations. If these spaces remain largely vacant, why were students forced out in the first place? This pattern of empty offices and displaced students highlights a fundamental misalignment in Stanford’s priorities. Rather than allowing essential housing to go unused, the university must ensure these spaces serve their original purpose. These houses must be returned to students.
This is not a minor shift. The Bechtel Center’s conference space alone can seat 200 people, meaning the entire building, along with Mariposa and Attneave, could have comfortably housed large swaths of students. Yet, rather than using this prime real estate for housing, Stanford has allowed it to sit empty while students struggle to secure on-campus accommodations.
The emptiness of these buildings reflects a systemic failure in Stanford’s resource management. The university’s adoption of flexible work policies has allowed many administrators to work remotely, leaving these office conversions vastly underutilized. Meanwhile, the housing crisis has reached critical levels: singles have been converted into doubles, doubles into triples, and in Roble Hall, formerly spacious rooms have been repurposed into cramped quads. Many students have been pushed off campus entirely, while prime residential spaces remain empty.
Stanford’s decision to remove students from these residences now appears not only shortsighted but indefensible. If these buildings were actively used, the university could at least argue their necessity—but the reality is that they serve neither administrators nor students.
There is a viable alternative. Escondido Village Graduate Residences (EVGR)—completed in 2020—was designed to accommodate Stanford’s expanding population, including both students and administrative functions. With over 2,400 modern units, EVGR is far better suited for remote-friendly administrative offices. Relocating offices here would allow historic student residences to return to their intended purpose: housing students. EVGR, which currently houses undergraduate students due to larger class sizes stemming from COVID-19 gap years, has the flexibility to house extra administrators.
Beyond logistical efficiency, repopulating these buildings with students would revitalize campus life. Student residences—particularly those on the Row—foster community, host events, and create a vibrant social atmosphere. Themed Row houses have long been central to Stanford traditions, from student-organized performances to communal dinners. These spaces bring people together in ways that administrative offices never could. Removing students from these environments has hollowed out the culture that makes Stanford unique.
Stanford must realign its priorities. Allowing prime housing to sit unused while students are crammed into overcrowded dorms or forced off campus is a failure of leadership. The university has a clear path forward: relocate administrative offices and restore student housing to its rightful place.
Stanford thrives because of its students, not its bureaucracy. Its housing policies must start reflecting that truth.
