For any student finding a place to live can be a long and difficult experience. There is the worry of cost, roommates and, most importantly, where to live.
After freshman year, students either move off campus, into fraternity and sorority houses or stay in the dorms. However, the dorms are usually filled with freshmen and a few sophomores.
With so many students living off campus, it is easy to feel disconnected from the SMU community.
Thus, SMU decided to find a way to get students more engaged on campus.
In September 2010 SMU’s Board of Trustees approved new construction plans to add five new residence halls, a dining hall and a parking garage to accommodate mandatory sophomore housing beginning in the fall of 2014.
At first the construction plans were meant to only accommodate sophomores living in the residence halls, but after consideration it was decided that the entire residential housing model would be redefined to become residential commons.
The new residential commons will be located across from the Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. The parking garage and the houses that are currently on Potomac Street will be knocked down to accommodate the new buildings.
Construction will begin in the summer to move Airline Street so that it wraps around the buildings.
The residential commons will be modeled to hold approximately 200 to 250 freshmen and sophomores, who will live together, along with a live-in faculty member.
The misconception of many is that the new residence halls will be for sophomores only. However, it will be for both sophomores and freshmen.
Steve Logan, the executive director of Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH) said, “No housing on campus will be just for freshmen or just for sophomores. Boaz, McElevany, Smith and Perkins will all go away as first year communities.”
Associate Vice President of the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction Phillip Jabour said this new design plan was a desire of President R. Gerald Turner.
President Turner, staff of Residence Life and Student Housing and staff of the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction (PDC) have spent the past three and a half years touring other universities who require sophomores to live on campus, such as Vanderbilt, Rice, Washington University and Baylor.
The desire for the residential common model is to accommodate the need for more academic integration in the residence halls.
“The goal of it is for SMU to attract the highest end students that apply here and get accepted that may be making decisions between SMU and Ivy Leagues, or other aspirant schools, based on some other living arrangements that that campus may have,” Logan said.
With a live-in faculty member on campus, it allows for professors and students to spend time together outside of the classroom, whether it is getting coffee, having dinner or holding study groups outside of the classroom.
“It’s about learning outside the classroom,” Jabour said, “It’s not all about just going to class and then going to study, but how do you continue to learn outside of four walls, Blackboard or a whiteboard.”
In addition to creating an academic environment, SMU’s goal for these new residential commons is to raise the retention rate.
Studies have shown that schools that require students to live on campus for two years have higher retention rates.
Another important reason for creating these residential commons is to help engage students on campus. For those students that may not go Greek, this is a way to keep them on campus and involved.
Sophomore Max Diener, a RA in Virginia Snider, said, “From a student’s perspective, nearly everyone I know has enjoyed living on campus. It also facilitates getting involved, which is something that SMU loves to see from its students, which in return creates an environment that makes students feel more connected with their campus.”
One concern of some students is whether or not these new residential commons will be able to house juniors and seniors who may want to continue living on campus.
“Many people who I have talked to wonder if these residence halls will be able to hold any upperclassmen,” sophomore Keara O’Brien said. “It doesn’t seem fair that if they are going to add all this new housing to completely count out the upperclassmen who may want to still live on campus.”
Jabour and Logan both assure students that they are hoping to have enough space to have some juniors and seniors live on campus if they choose to.
Jabour said that with this new established community, “when you become an upper class individual, juniors and seniors, you will still be part of the community, your residential commons. If there is space they might provide it, but you are gaining this four year experience.”
The residential commons will not only include the new residence halls, but will also include a full renovation of Perkins and Smith as well as conversions to the other residence halls, such as Boaz and McElevany, which were renovated just a short time ago.
As construction begins this summer, students will be unable to live in Perkins and Smith.
While PDC and RLSH are still working to find out how to accommodate these students, Jabour said, “They will be accommodated.”
The minor conversions to the other residence halls will add several components to make them into residential commons. Like the new residence halls, the buildings will have a live in faculty advisor.
Jabour and Logan both said that the response from students has been overwhelmingly positive.
Construction will begin this summer and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2014. The class of 2013 will be the first class to enjoy the new two year experience.
