Park Hall may have had a major influence on the number of students returning to the dorms this fall. This year, 340 more students have applied to live in the dorms than last year.
Alan Hargrave, associate dean of Student Affairs and director of Housing and Residence Life, said the percentage of students signed up, is higher than the past several years. As of Tuesday, 2,701 returning students had applied for housing. Last year at this time, 2,361 students had applied.
Park Hall was the first residence hall to fill up when contract renewal began in mid-January, Hargrave said. The hall was filled up by February 19. The first rooms to be filled up in the hall were the studio rooms, which are the most expensive and include personal bathrooms and a kitchenette. The suites, traditional dorms with bathrooms, were the last to be filled.
Freshmen Rachel Amspaugh will live in a semi-private suite in Park Hall next year. She said she chose to live there because it's brand new and convenient.
Catherine Bickel, associate director of Housing and Residence Life, said she thinks more students are returning to the dorms because they are affordable. She said there are hidden costs for many students who move off campus, but there are none in the residence halls.
Bickel and Hargrave also said dorm services may also contribute to why students want to continue living in residence halls. Every year, the office of Housing and Residence Life conducts Quality of Life surveys by phone, e-mail and mail. The office also forms student focus groups to find out what students want to see in their dorms.
"We can change it if students want more or less of something," Bickel said.
Hargrave said he thought the academic clusters in the dorms, such as pre-business, pre-nursing, and pre-communications influenced the increased number of students renewing their housing contracts. Clusters are halls were students are primarily from the same major.
However, freshmen Eric Jenkins isn't living in Clevenger Hall next fall because of the academic programs or the affordability. He said he is living on campus next year because of his friends.
"Honestly, if I had not met some of my best friends on that floor, I wouldn't be living there," Jenkins said.
Bickel said they are building dorms to attract students for the next ten years. Therefore, technology and dorm quality are very important.
"We haven't built new housing facilities in thirty years," she said "We are doing this to provide students with newer facilities." LaFollette Complex and some of the other dorms are older buildings, which is also part of why he will live there next year, Jenkins said.
"You can't break anything in LaFollette," he said. "It's already broken."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
