Improvement of residence halls and dining services is in the works, as outlined by the new Residence Life and Dining Services Master Plan.

Amid declining enrollment and a harsh economic climate, the University has set its sights on improving the quality of student life to attract prospective students. To do this, the Residence Life and Dining Services Master Plan will drastically alter the state of the residence halls as well as the dining options available to students.

‘Quite candidly, I don’t believe that the quality of our student housing compares to other universities, and it’s not as responsive to student needs as we want,’ said Steven Krakoff, associate vice president for capital planning and design.

Changes that are being considered include the demolition of Rogers and the fraternity units, altering the design and amenities of existing residence halls, improvements to dining halls and the construction of two new buildings.

‘The [new] rooms will have a lot more amenities, a less congested feel, a much improved design, the bathrooms will be improved and there will be a 180 degree turnaround in the quality of our student housing,’ Krakoff said.

The new Residence Life and Dinning Services Master Plan will affect the University in two phases.

‘We hope to begin some of the changes at the beginning of this academic year, our hope is to have some of our new buildings up for occupancy by fall of 2011,’ he said.

The project is still in the planning stages, and no firm cost analysis was available, he said.

The first phase of the plan would include renovations of existing facilities, conversion of many rooms to suite configuration and the replacement of McDonald and Commons dining halls. Suite style rooms have a shared common area which leads to multiple bedrooms, which usually hold one or two occupants.

‘Kreischer and McDonald will more than likely see heavier renovations than Offenhauer and Founders,’ Krakoff said. Offenhauer and Founders are more up to date, and closer to the plans set by the new Residence Life and Dining Services Master Plan.

Phase two would see the continuation of renovations, the possible replacement of the Greek housing with a Greek village and two additional buildings built.

‘When all of this is done ten years out, we’ll have an absolutely superb campus and all of our buildings will be in much better condition than when we started,’ Krakoff said. ‘In reality this is a 15 year plus plan, but the heaviest activity will be seeing in the first six or seven years.’

The adoption of a greater number of suite style rooms is not completely beneficial, however, according to Nick North, the incoming Administrative RA in Harshman Anderson-Bromfield.

‘The benefit is bringing juniors and seniors back to campus, but the downside is that freshman and sophomore year you experience campus more when you are less inclined to spend time in your room,’ he said.

North added this plan is more in line with student preferences.

‘The standard double room is outdated; people want more single rooms and apartment rooms’ he said.

To ensure student input, the administration surveyed students last February through an online survey service in which students were asked questions about dorm life.

According to Krakoff, most students surveyed preferred suite style rooms to double occupancy rooms and liked more modern rooms.

However, some students disagree that the suite style room is superior.

‘The problem with a suite is that instead of getting along with one or two roommates, you have to get along with six,’ said Erin Waldman, a graduate student. ‘I prefer normal rooms.’