Residence hall living has classic and new possibilities

		September 19, 2003

FIGs, co-ops, student-staff decision making, plans for a ‘global village,’ all part of living on campus at IUB

By Susan Williams

(Editor’s note: The first two buildings of a seven-building housing complex on the IUPUI campus opened to students Aug. 18. IPFW and IU South Bend are also exploring opportunities for “residence life” for students. “IU Home Pages” will carry more about the IUPUI opening in the Oct. 17 edition which will feature a special section on the Indianapolis campus.)

Photos by Chris Meyer

1. Students grab trays to load up with food from the Wright Food Court on the Bloomington campus. A wide selection of foods is available.

2. Students line up at the registers after selecting their favorite lunch items at the Wright Food Court

3. Wright Food Court staff member Leslie Snyder, a 10-year employee, loads a pizza into the oven at Sbarro at lunch time.

4. Foster Food Court student supervisor Jennifer Larson holds up some of the delectable cupcakes available at Cream and Crimson Creations.

A new rule requiring freshmen to live on campus represents a major policy shift at IU Bloomington, but in actuality, it will create hardly a ripple, according to Bruce Jacobs, vice chancellor for auxiliary services and programs on the Bloomington campus.

IU’s trustees approved a policy last September calling for all undergraduate, first-year students enrolled at IUB to live on campus, primarily to facilitate access to the array of learning environments and programs that enrich the lives of residential students.

“Of students who have less than sophomore status, 87 percent already live on campus,” Jacobs said, “and of totally new students, 96 percent were living on campus prior to the new rule. Given the size of most incoming classes, the change means about 300 more students living in dorms, on-campus apartments, and fraternity and sorority houses, although we planned for 400 extra, given the size of last year’s larger class.”

“Studies show that students who live on campus make the transition to college and perform better academically than students who do not. Establishing the on-campus residency requirement was an important statement for us to make about IU’s values.”

—Bruce Jacob
IUB vice chancellor for auxiliary services and programs

Jacobs, who added that about 33 percent of all students return to live on campus the next year, said the reason for the new policy is entirely academic.
“Over and over,” he said, “studies show that students who live on campus make the transition to college and perform better academically than students who do not. Establishing the on-campus residency requirement was an important statement for us to make about IU’s values.”

Some exemptions to the residency requirement have been allowed. Local students living with their parents or a legal guardian within a 25-mile radius of campus may request an exemption and any transfer student who is within the 25-mile limit may do so as well. Transfer students outside the prescribed area who have completed 15 credit hours also are exempt, as are part-time students, students who will be 21 years old prior to beginning their first semester, married students or those who would qualify under the university guidelines or live with a partner.

According to Jacobs, the response from students and parents has been nearly 100 percent supportive. Besides, look at what students would be missing, especially if they bypassed the traditional residence hall experience.

Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) were designed to smooth the transition from high school to college by grouping together freshmen who sign on according to aptitude, interests and career considerations. They allow a group of freshmen with similar interests to take several classes together, thus providing all with a built in support group of new best friends.

But while FIGs may be limited to freshmen, it isn’t the only “special interest” residential experience available. Anyone can apply to live in thematic learning communities, such as those devoted to the seriously studious (Academic Communities), or another focused on healthy living (Wellness Center at Briscoe).

There also is the Atkins Living Learning Center for students who want to be immersed in the study of African-American history and culture. The center is named for Thomas I. Atkins, who in 1960 was elected the first African-American president of the IU Student Association. He went on to become the first African American elected to the Boston City Council and was the chief litigator for the NCAA on school desegregation.

Next year will see the merger of IU’s Language Houses with Foster International to form a global village. This concept is aimed toward students who are interested in studying languages or in areas such as international studies or international business. It’s also for those who just want to meet and live with people from all over the world.

There are also two cooperative programs, where students get a break in rent in return for performing a weekly assigned job “around the house.” Within the job rotation, some duties definitely have a housekeeping slant—emptying all the wastebaskets, perhaps. Others, though, are more oriented toward building a cohesive community.

For example, one of the assignments is “water cooler duty.” Actually, there is no real water cooler—just an 11 x 15 drawing of one. The person in charge of the water cooler any given week is responsible for establishing and posting a theme to encourage community discussion.
Along with various living communities, students also are encouraged to take part in problem solving and decision making by a number of leadership opportunities.

“This is their home and they should have something to say about where they live,” said Jacobs, who explained that decisions regarding food services on campus were made by a committee comprised of half students and half staff. The group worked on a budget, product selection and comparison, and food testing.

One result that everyone on the Bloomington campus who is not on a diet should check out—the Cream and Crimson Creations bakery, located in the Gresham Food Court at Foster. Instead of retaining the services of a donut chain, students suggested that IU bakers make their own, and they are. According to Jacobs, student technology issues were determined in the same way through a council of students and University Information Technology Services staff.

Another program offered by Residential Programs and Services (RPS) is the CommUNITY Education Program, which is dedicated to providing an environment that seeks, welcomes and values all people. Representatives, called CommUnity Educators (CUEs), from each resident hall are provided with special training on diversity issues, and then work with a staff adviser to plan educational programs. Each CUE plans about 15 programs per year and creates 10 or so bulletin boards or exhibits designed to inform, spark discussion, insight and positive action.

Finally, RPS offers three Academic Support Centers (ASCs) located in Teter, Briscoe and Forest residence halls. ASCs, which are open to any IU student, were originally intended to help math and writing phobics through beginning M118 and W131 classes. The program proved so popular (about 1,000 students used it the first year) and so successful (everyone who came for M118 or W131 tutoring passed) that the offer of free tutoring has expanded to nearly every class. ASCs also provide study-skills workshops, academic advising and group study sessions.

Top

About Home Pages

Schedule

Contact