Why rush a good thing?
Though the original timetable of the study being done for the Residence Life Master Plan cited this month as the release of final recommendations by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas, there’s still more work to be done.
According to Executive Director of Residence Life Linda Newman, there are still “lots of ideas” being tossed around regarding the future of on-campus housing at the University.
The abundance of ideas from the associates of HEWV isn’t a surprise given their quality of work so far, according to Newman. Final recommendations are expected early in the fall semester. The Board of Trustees must approve all recommendations before any changes can occur.
“I feel they have been very thorough and very deliberate in following a very logical sequence in how they’ve gathered information, interpreted information and then used that information to shape some ideas,” she said.
Declining to comment on specific proposals, the 15-year plan won’t come without giving thought to how any changes would affect dining areas on campus, Newman said.
“As we move forward with this, we’re considering hand-in-hand dining facilities,” she said. “As we’re looking at the overall plan and looking at placement of residential structures, we have to consider that we provide good dining support for the students living in those facilities.”
But it’s difficult to know what specifics students in 15 years will expect of on-campus living, Newman said.
“One of my concerns is to be sure we can meet the needs of future students as well,” she said. “We don’t have a crystal ball, but we can make some deductions based on students coming from smaller families. They have more space at home, they’re used to more privacy and that does help to guide us as we think about the future.”
But above all, academics come first and according to Newman, construction should not greatly hinder students’ ability to excel.
“Our goal is to support the [University’s] academic mission and so the Residence Halls need to provide an environment that is conducive to success,” she said.