University residence halls are bursting at the seams — or, rather, at the cement walls
— that define each 147 square foot cubicle in the Bean complex. With the number of incoming freshmen higher than ever this winter term, University Housing Director Mike Eyster said the
residence halls can barely hold any
more students.
But he said the University is also losing prospective students to schools with more spacious accommodations, and older students are moving to off-campus housing.
Overcrowded and unappealing rooms prompted University Housing and the Honors College to submit a proposal to construct a new residence hall. Construction would begin no earlier than 2005 and would cost approximately $27 million, Eyster said. Kashe Brooks, a sophomore theater design major, is one of about 17 percent of University students who return to the residence halls for a second year, a number Eyster said is low compared to other universities. Brooks said she thinks of her residence hall room as separate from her school life.
“The first impression I got is that the dorms are on this side, and the campus is on that side,” she said. “It’s kind of just a place to sleep and keep
your stuff.”
But Eyster’s vision for the new residence hall, which he described as a “living-learning center,” would improve the quality of rooms and the quality of students’ education, he said. The new residence hall would offer not just a bed, desk and closet, but also academic support services for students to meet with professors and get involved with academic and residence life.
The residence hall would also have accessibility for students with wheelchairs, deaf students needing special alarms and other students requiring special accommodations.
Construction of a new residence hall would open up space in existing residence halls, which would allow housing officials to renovate or replace the older halls, some of which are 47 years old, Eyster said.
But before construction begins, several problems would have to be solved, he added.
First, the building proposal must survive several phases of review by University President Dave Frohnmayer, the Oregon University System and Gov. John Kitzhaber’s office, said University planning associate Cathy Soutar.
Second, the building needs a location. Eyster favors the area between Earl and Walton complexes in place of the tennis courts, but there are “significant hurdles to overcome,” he said.
The campus development plan would have to be modified and the tennis courts would need to be relocated, Eyster said.
Another possible location is the current Bean parking lot, but Eyster worries about placing the residence hall too far from classes, as students complained in a survey last year about Bean’s distance from some University buildings.
The new residence hall “needs to be close to the academic heartbeat,” he said.
But before a site for the residence hall can be selected, the building must be funded, Soutar said.
Residence hall funding is an auxiliary service, and the housing department raises revenue from rent.
Lack of funds has kept the department from building or renovating in the past, but Eyster said it cannot afford to wait much longer.
“If we fail to (build and upgrade), we will be unable to attract high quality students to the University,” he said.
Higher quality rooms and more space would also attract older students who tend to move off campus after their first year, Eyster said.
“We don’t even have room for them to return but most choose not to,” he said. “If we had larger rooms to better fit students’ computers and to offer privacy, we’d have more returning students, which would create a richer culture and environment.”
Brooks said the No. 1 renovation she’d like to see is larger rooms.
“When I first saw the dorms, I felt like I would be claustrophobic,” she said. “There’s just not enough space.”