Housing struggles to compete
■ University Housing faces
the challenge of creating
accommodations that will
make students feel at home
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
The University’s residence halls
were the third-worst in the nation
in 1998, according to a 1998 report
by the scholarly journal Princeton
Review.
Though the University no longer
holds this dubious distinction,
many on campus feel the need for
an additional residence hall is nec
essary to keep University Housing
a viable option for students.
“It’s clear to me we need to build
a new residence hall,” said Michael
Eyster, director of University Hous
ing, adding it would have to be cen
trally located on campus.
According to a report by Ander
son Strickler, LCC, a consultant
group hired by the University to as
sess the future of campus housing,
to remain competitive the Univer
sity must build another residence
hall or improve the existing ones.
Doing so would maintain the “resi
dential” status of the University by
putting an emphasis on a strong
campus community for students.
The University has begun con
struction of two new buildings slat
ed to house graduate and law stu
dents between Moss and Villard
Streets east of the Bean Complex.
The report also found that no res
idence-hall at the University'is less
than 30 years old. The University
Inn, built 34 years ago, is the
newest while the oldest, Carson
Hall, had its 52nd birthday last
year.
Eyster defined a residential cam
pus as characterized by vitality and
vibrancy as well as a sense of com
munity. He said it is not based sim
ply on the percentage of the student
body living on campus.
Anne Leavitt, associate vice pres
ident of Student Affairs, agreed
with Eyster and said a new facility
or the renovation of an existing hall
is something that has to be done to
keep the University from becoming
a “commuter campus.”
The report named freshmen as
the primary beneficiaries of a resi
dential campus because of the
proximity to academic facilities,
such as the Knight Library.
According to the report, “having
a residential component lends a
certain ‘aura’ and makes the cam
pus more appealing.” The report
also suggested on-campus students
become more involved with cam
pus activities and are more apt to
use the University’s academic re
sources.
Currently, ,3,125 beds are avail
able in campus residence halls —
enough to house approximately 20
percent of enrolled students. The
average room has a gross area per
bed of 247 square feet, which is al
most 100 square feet less than the
average for newly built residence
halls at other schools. Because of
this, Eyster said the possibility of
students leaving for more spacious
living arrangements is real.
“Current residence hall rooms
don’t offer the kind of space stu
dents need,” Eyster said.
He said the residence halls are
still in good shape, but were built
for students of a different era.
Other universities have begun to
invest more in their student hous
ing. In a letter to Dan Williams, vice
president for administration, Eyster
wrote that Oregon State University
has begun to pay more attention to
the interaction between its faculty
and students who reside in hous
ing. This, he wrote, has brought
OSU praise in its attempt to bring
more students to its residence halls.
Leavitt also said University resi
dence halls are not competitive
with other schools.
She said residence halls are the
first step to creating and maintain
ing a residential campus. After 5
p.m., she said, the campus becomes
very different. Students and facul
ty leave, creating a void of activity
at night on campus.
“We need to have a really com
pelling campus at night,” she said.
She said creating a campus
where students feel at home and
want to go to relax and enjoy their
leisure time is important in having
a residential campus.
Leavitt said directors from the
Student Recreation Center, the
EMU, and University Housing have
discussed ways to involve students,
in programs on campus.
Dennis Munroe, director of Phys
ical Activity and Recreation Ser
vices, said the proximity of the Rec
Center to the residence halls can be
a determining factor for students
who choose to live in housing on
campus.
“We stand prepared to try to en
hance the residential experience to
a desirable level,” he said.
But funding has created a situa
tion where the University may not
be able to afford to add or renovate
a residence hall.
“We can’t fix them without some
dedicated funding,” Leavitt said.
In the 1998-99 fiscal year, Uni
versity Housing received
$20,962,992 in funds. During the
same period, $20,502,989 was
spent in operating expenses. This
left a surplus of $460,003. An addi
tional $604,890 was added to hous
ing reserves, putting $1.8 million
total in reserve. According to the
housing assessment, this represents
1 percent of the replacement cost of
the entire housing system.
“I think Student Affairs has a job
to do,” Leavitt said.
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