By STACI
HUPP
Register Staff Writer
02/14/2003
Ames, Ia. - Iowa State University officials want to
limit the number of older students in dormitories next fall to make room for
more freshmen.
The
idea upsets some upperclassmen, who say they're being uprooted just when
they've started to feel at home.
ISU's
plan is in line with a bigger goal: to overhaul the dormitory system so
freshmen will live closer to campus in buildings that have more structure,
including community service requirements and bans on alcohol and overnight
guests.
"It
became apparent that having better residence facilities was going to be a good
way to attract students to the university," said Kate Bruns, a spokeswoman
for ISU's housing department.
Nearly
half of the students who live in dormitories now are older, records show. Last
year 8,701 students lived on campus. Under the new plan, freshmen will make up
two-thirds of most dormitories, which means upperclassmen either will move or
compete with one another for their old rooms.
"I
guess what's bothering me so much about it is the fact that I can't
choose," said ISU sophomore Ben Woline, who has lived in his Roberts Hall
room for nearly two years and wants to return next year.
ISU
officials are cutting deals with upperclassmen to move into the Towers, the
most unpopular dorms for their lack of upkeep and distance from campus.
Two
of the four Towers buildings are falling apart and will be torn down within two
years. The other two were renovated into single rooms. Older students who move
into the Towers will avoid expensive room deposits and a nearly 8 percent
increase in room-and-board rates.
"I
saw a chain-link fence blocking off hazard zones, where chunks of building are
falling off," said ISU sophomore Andy Holtz, Woline's roommate.
Frederiksen Court, a newer apartment-style housing option for older students,
already has a long waiting list. Upperclassmen will have another option when a
remodeled Buchanan Hall reopens in 2004, Bruns said.
Meanwhile,
online advertisements for apartments are flooding e-mail accounts of older
students.
The
ads don't appeal to Woline and Holtz, who love their dormitory floor so much
that they wear T-shirts bearing its name: Fairchild House. The two started a
petition and sent a letter to ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.
Woline
said the dorms let him forget about cooking, cleaning or driving a car so he
can focus on learning.
"When
you're in an apartment building, you get to know your roommates well, but you
don't get to know people in your building," said Woline, who's from Ames.
Woline's
chances of getting his room back next year will go up if the other older
students on his floor choose to move. About 40 percent of the floor's residents
are upperclassmen.
ISU
officials emphasize that dormitory space for older students isn't being cut.
The plan just shifts the housing population to accommodate freshmen and ease
waiting lists that force dozens of freshmen into dormitory dens the first few
weeks of the fall semester.
Research
shows dormitories can make or break a student's decision to enroll, ISU
officials said. Freshmen want shorter walks to class and need more academic
support than older students. Parents also rest easier when their children move
into more structured living areas, said Bruns.
ISU
first tested the program, called Fresh Start, in Maple Hall. The dormitory
closed in 1998 for a $15.7 million renovation and reopened the next year, after
turning away more than 700 students.
Fresh
Start
ISU's
Fresh Start program includes more community advisers, academic resources and
peer mentors.
SERVICE: Students must participate in one or two
community service and personal development activities each semester, and they
must participate in at least one campus organization of their choice.
NO
ALCOHOL: Alcohol is
forbidden, but 24-hour visitation is allowed in commons areas, with limited
room visits.
Dormitory
changes and renovations:
* MAPLE HALL: Reopened in 1999
after a $15.7 million renovation.
* UNION DRIVE ASSOCIATION: The
complex's first suite, the $21 million Eaton Hall, opened in 2002. The second
suite is scheduled to open in fall 2004.
* TOWERS: Wallace and Wilson halls
were renovated into single-student rooms at a cost of $374,000. Storms Hall is
expected to be torn down in summer 2004; Knapp Hall will be torn down in 2005.
* BUCHANAN HALL: Once designated
for students age 21 and older, the dorm closed for a $12 million renovation. It
will reopen to students who are 19 or older.
* WESTGATE HALL: Will be demolished
this summer.