Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Residence Life

  • By Deborah P. Moore
  • 05/01/14

Change is inevitable… and necessary. Without it we fail to move forward. Higher education is not exempt from the need for change, if for no other reason than to respond to societal and economic trends, or the ever-changing needs and expectations of today’s student. It is not only pedagogy or program, but also the design of many campus buildings. One area where we have seen considerable change is in residence halls and the students who live therein! Here are just a few comparisons worth mentioning.

PRICE. A newspaper article on “dorm life” in 1936 at Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College will help to put things in perspective. Back then, instructional fees were $27 for an 18-week semester. Necessary expenses were a post office box rental for 50 cents and a $5 incidental fee, which included library usage and admittance to athletic and cultural programs. Dormitory room rental ranged from $18 to $45 per semester depending on location, furnishings and number of roommates. Rooms were inspected weekly, and there was a $3 deposit to guarantee proper care of the room and the furnishings. Amenities included “heated by steam heat and lighted by electricity,” with hot and cold running water. According to the latest College Board Report on the trends in college pricing, the average published charges for undergraduates at a four-year public institution in 2013-14 were $8,893 for in-state tuition and fees, $22,203 for out-of-state tuition and fees, plus an additional $9,498 for room and board.

HOUSE RULES. A New York Times article on Education Life speaks to the changes we have seen in house rules. A 1960s women’s dormitory handbook talked about dorm hours (11 P.M. lights out and bed checks); permission to visit home (signing out with the housemother and paying her for a two-cent postcard to notify your parents); social standards, poise and good manners (for example, by standing when an older person enters the room or approaches to speak); and personal appearance (shorts may not be worn on campus except for P.E. classes). A 2012 residence contract spoke to the possession of weapons on campus; consumption, possession or use of alcohol; personal safety (including walking on roofs or ledges); and gender equity halls.

Residence halls have evolved from basic spaces to fully furnished homes away from home. On today’s campus, quality, safety and residence life programs offered play a huge role in recruiting and retaining students. To find out more about the changes happening in residence halls, turn to page 20, where you will find Living on Campus, our 13th annual survey on residence hall construction.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.