By Lacey Bitter
The idea of putting several hundred college students in one relatively small building and expecting them to live peacefully may seem ludicrous to some. However, students partaking in the communal experience of living in residence halls have shown to have higher GPAs, are more likely to complete their degrees and are better able to connect to other opportunities on their campus.
For these reasons, the Office of Residence is proposing a requirement for freshmen to live in the dorms starting next year with the addition of the new halls, Rev. Arthur Schoenfeldt, C.S.C., Hall and Suzanne and Fred Fields Hall.
"I think we'll probably require freshmen next year," Director of Residence Life Mike Walsh said. "Most comparative schools have freshmen and sophomores required."
Students are not currently required to live in the residence halls, only strongly encouraged by the University. Many students are under the misconception that the school requires them to live on campus for one year.
Walsh assured that there would be an exception for students choosing to live at home with their parents for financial reasons.
"If a student can show that they cannot go to UP because of financial reasons, they live at home with their parents rent-free and home is 30 miles or less from UP, they can live at home," Walsh said.
The University is able to require freshmen in the dorms next year when it adds 296 spaces for additional residents in the new dorms, but many students have relentlessly complained about the dorms and prefer to make their own living arrangements off-campus.
"Requiring them to live in the dorms is slightly restricting their rights as a student," senior Jessica Liuzzi said. "You're asking a lot of someone to require them to stay on campus."
However, Walsh said that sophomores who live off-campus have lower retention rates, so he would like to encourage as many of the underclassmen as possible to live in the dorms. Although he said that many schools similar to the University of Portland require both freshmen and sophomores to live in the residence halls, he said that UP will most likely not implement this requirement to sophomores so that they have some freedom of decision and don't feel forced to do anything.
Requiring freshmen to live in the dorms helps them get settled and transition from living with their parents to living alone.
"It's already a huge life change going from high school to college for most students. If they can be away from their home environment for part of that, they have more freedom to develop on their own," senior Karen Bortvedt, a resident assistant in Shipstad Hall, said.
The dorms provide students with an arena to meet other people, get involved in hall and campus activities and have access to a support system of resident assistants and hall directors.
"Living on campus is to focus on things like schoolwork or extracurricular activities they may want to be involved in rather than focus on things like cooking or cleaning that they will have to focus on later on in life anyway," Bortvedt said. "It's a good way for students to connect with each other and it's much easier ?to be friends when you are all on the ?same campus."
Upon the completion of Schoenfeldt and Fields halls next fall, more students will be able to live on campus. In the past, Residence Life has had to turn down upperclassmen who want to live in the dorms so that enough rooms remain for freshmen, but next year, anyone who would like to live on campus will have the opportunity.
"I really want to have a lot of private single spaces for upperclassmen," Walsh said. "Now we'll have rooms designed for their needs."
The new dorm, which is one building made up of two separate halls, is designed with upperclassmen in mind, including many rooms that are in the form of suites - two rooms sharing one common space and bathroom.
With nearly 300 beds in these new dorms, more rooms will be available in the current residence halls that can be converted into singles for upperclassmen.
"It's not for everybody, but if it's right for you, we encourage you to live on campus," Walsh said.
The option to live off-campus will remain for sophomores, juniors and seniors who feel that lifestyle better suits them.
"I think living in the dorms is a valuable experience and I wouldn't change that experience. Both experiences are equally important," Liuzzi said of her three years spent living in the dorms and one year off-campus. "There's more freedom and responsibility to living off-campus."
However, living on campus lets students focus on schoolwork and friendships instead of needing to worry about other basic needs like cooking, cleaning and paying bills.
"We encourage students to live on campus," Walsh said. "You have your whole life to live off-campus."
