One thing students might worry about when coming to campus is finding a place to live. With the limited housing available for campus dorms, trying to get a place could be harder than studying for a midterm. Yet, with the recent announcement that a new dorm is being built, it seems like incoming and/or returning students might have one less problem to worry about. However, the idea that this new dorm is intended for freshman might not be as well received equally.
First off, the benefit of having a new dorm on campus is the sense of having guaranteed housing. Although it might not be a total guarantee, a new number of living spaces on campus could help to even the odds for new and returning students.
Additionally, it demonstrates how the increasing number of incoming students is being addressed by the University. They see that the best way to match the number of high school students interested in attending the University is to find a way to create additional housing. With more living spaces, there’s the possibility that these students might choose to attened the University rather than another institution.
Furthermore, having a new dorm shows that the campus is continually growing. It’s great to see the University wondering how they can continue to either fix an issue like on-campus housing or working to improve the University’s look. Surely, students remember when the new science building was being built and how nice it appears on campus now. It will be interesting to see how the new dorm adds to the campus’ aesthetics and improves upon them.
However, while adding a new dorm to campus geared toward freshmen is a fine idea, one cannot forget to think about upperclassmen as well. Considering that freshmen don’t have to worry about entering the housing lottery or searching for off-campus residence, why shouldn’t sophomores, juniors, and even seniors have as much of a chance to live on-campus? Of course, one should also be aware how upperclassmen do have the opportunity to live off-campus by either renting houses or finding apartments in places like Pier Village.
Ultimately, upperclassmen and freshmen are both paying students, so it should not be out of the question to think that upperclassmen should be able to use this new dorm as well.
While the new dorm appears to be earmarked for the new freshmen, one can think about updating the current dorms as well. One idea to consider is creating additions to on-campus apartments or developing more suite-style buildings where one could have a kitchen to increase not only the value, but also the look of these particular living spaces. Plus, some might think it would be nice to cook rather than have to walk to the cafeteria and/or get take-out food. This would continue to show the trend of keeping the University running smoothly and modernizing certain aspects. From here, freshmen are getting something new as well as upperclassmen.
In the end, the idea of a new dorm on campus will vary through different perspectives. For freshmen and sophomores, it means having a better opportunity to live on campus rather than trying to worry if they will or will not have a place to live. For some upperclassmen, it means not limiting a new dorm to only freshmen. Juniors should have just as much of a chance to remain on campus as long as they want to, rather than go off-campus.
All in all, a new dorm is a welcomed addition to the campus that should decrease the stress of finding housing even if it’s only for a portion of the student body.