2008 Woodie Awards
Editor's Column: Seniors-only housing is a good option for students
Issue date: 12/8/06 Section: Opinion
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Current juniors living on-campus will have an option next year that was previously unavailable to students. Residence Life has introduced a new seniors-only housing option in the Morris Quad Townhouses. The idea was proposed by the two new Assistant Directors of Residence Life, Chris Heasley and Marci Berney, who both came to St. Joe's from Boston College, where a similar housing option is available.
Seniors living in the Townhouses will be granted certain privileges, such as the ability to hold "social gatherings" with alcohol. These parties will need to be registered with Residence Life, so RAs will be aware of what is going on. This will help Residence Life prevent some of the problems that occur at off-campus parties while still allowing student to enjoy some of the privileges they would have off-campus.
More importantly, though, Residence Life hopes that the new option will help keep seniors as an active part of the University community. Also, they hope that students will graduate holding more favorable attitudes toward St. Joe's, and will remain loyal alumni.
A housing option like this is a good thing for the senior class, and for the school as a whole. As it is now, many seniors live off campus and some feel less connected to the school then they would if they lived on campus, and therefore feel more of a disconnect when they graduate. Residence Life has added other incentives in order to convince seniors to stay on campus, such as the option to lease a house for a full 12 months, instead the eight months that other residence halls are available. Also, the price will be lower than that of the other halls in order to remain competitive with off-campus apartments and houses.
The seniors-only option is especially important now, considering the recent crackdown on students violating a district law that forbids more than three unrelated people from living together in a house. Hopefully the new incentives will draw in students who would otherwise have illegally occupied an off-campus house.
However, the idea faces a few obstacles before it will be fully effective. First, the price ($800 a month per person) is cheaper than other campus housing options, but still significantly more expensive than many other options, even considering the costs of cable TV, Internet, and electricity. Also, leaving campus is a good learning opportunity for students before they enter the real world. Searching for an apartment, setting up utility services, and paying monthly bills are all things that everyone must learn how to do before becoming a true adult.
Right now, students simply are not used to this kind of housing. Many automatically shy away from campus residence halls because of the connotations of RAs, quiet hours, and other regulations. However, even if things may be rocky at first, students will hopefully get used to it and appreciate the benefits it can offer them. As for the strengthening of the St. Joe's community, we'll have to wait and see if it is successful.
Seniors living in the Townhouses will be granted certain privileges, such as the ability to hold "social gatherings" with alcohol. These parties will need to be registered with Residence Life, so RAs will be aware of what is going on. This will help Residence Life prevent some of the problems that occur at off-campus parties while still allowing student to enjoy some of the privileges they would have off-campus.
More importantly, though, Residence Life hopes that the new option will help keep seniors as an active part of the University community. Also, they hope that students will graduate holding more favorable attitudes toward St. Joe's, and will remain loyal alumni.
A housing option like this is a good thing for the senior class, and for the school as a whole. As it is now, many seniors live off campus and some feel less connected to the school then they would if they lived on campus, and therefore feel more of a disconnect when they graduate. Residence Life has added other incentives in order to convince seniors to stay on campus, such as the option to lease a house for a full 12 months, instead the eight months that other residence halls are available. Also, the price will be lower than that of the other halls in order to remain competitive with off-campus apartments and houses.
The seniors-only option is especially important now, considering the recent crackdown on students violating a district law that forbids more than three unrelated people from living together in a house. Hopefully the new incentives will draw in students who would otherwise have illegally occupied an off-campus house.
However, the idea faces a few obstacles before it will be fully effective. First, the price ($800 a month per person) is cheaper than other campus housing options, but still significantly more expensive than many other options, even considering the costs of cable TV, Internet, and electricity. Also, leaving campus is a good learning opportunity for students before they enter the real world. Searching for an apartment, setting up utility services, and paying monthly bills are all things that everyone must learn how to do before becoming a true adult.
Right now, students simply are not used to this kind of housing. Many automatically shy away from campus residence halls because of the connotations of RAs, quiet hours, and other regulations. However, even if things may be rocky at first, students will hopefully get used to it and appreciate the benefits it can offer them. As for the strengthening of the St. Joe's community, we'll have to wait and see if it is successful.
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