2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Plans for a new dorm, renovations still in the works
Scott Lowenstein
Issue date: 4/13/07 Section: Campus News
The high number of upperclassmen living off campus has University officials talking about creating new and better housing to entice upperclassmen to stay on campus.
Though no specific plans have been prepared, administrators have been "considering seriously" the possibility of building new residence halls for undergraduates and improving older structures to make them more attractive to juniors and seniors, said Russell Carey '91 MA'06, interim vice president for campus life and student services.
"We are not housing enough students on campus," Carey said. "We are a residential university … and we think we are not providing the on-campus experience to enough of our students."
Currently, the University only houses about 80 percent of undergrads on campus, a proportion lower than its peer institutions, Carey said. "This level is not where we should be institutionally," Carey said. The University would have to increase the number of residence hall beds by 600 to reach its goal of 90 percent on-campus residents, he said.
"As a goal, increasing the amount of on-campus housing has resonated well with students that we have talked with," Carey said.
But students aren't simply concerned about the amount of available housing.
"We are largely planning these dorms with upperclassmen in mind," Carey said. "We know that what upper-class students want - like apartments, singles and suites with common space - we just don't have enough of," he said.
In addition to new buildings, the University is considering upgrades to existing dorms.
"We are looking very hard at the condition and quality of our current residence halls. Students want more housing, but all of those conversations involved a discussion of the quality of existing housing," Carey said.
Such renovations would include physical improvements like modernizing bathrooms, heating and lighting, as well as aesthetic improvements to rooms and common spaces, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life.
Though no specific plans have been prepared, administrators have been "considering seriously" the possibility of building new residence halls for undergraduates and improving older structures to make them more attractive to juniors and seniors, said Russell Carey '91 MA'06, interim vice president for campus life and student services.
"We are not housing enough students on campus," Carey said. "We are a residential university … and we think we are not providing the on-campus experience to enough of our students."
Currently, the University only houses about 80 percent of undergrads on campus, a proportion lower than its peer institutions, Carey said. "This level is not where we should be institutionally," Carey said. The University would have to increase the number of residence hall beds by 600 to reach its goal of 90 percent on-campus residents, he said.
"As a goal, increasing the amount of on-campus housing has resonated well with students that we have talked with," Carey said.
But students aren't simply concerned about the amount of available housing.
"We are largely planning these dorms with upperclassmen in mind," Carey said. "We know that what upper-class students want - like apartments, singles and suites with common space - we just don't have enough of," he said.
In addition to new buildings, the University is considering upgrades to existing dorms.
"We are looking very hard at the condition and quality of our current residence halls. Students want more housing, but all of those conversations involved a discussion of the quality of existing housing," Carey said.
Such renovations would include physical improvements like modernizing bathrooms, heating and lighting, as well as aesthetic improvements to rooms and common spaces, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life.