University considers theme housing expansion
Residence hall floors dedicated to specific themes such as sign language or natural resources may be expanded to include additional options and more floors.
A student theme housing expansion would benefit present and incoming students, said theme housing coordinator Shannon Jolley.
Utah State University Housing and Food Services has had increasing interest from students to join theme floors, Jolley said, but cannot accommodate every student due to a lack of space. Plans for including another theme building in Reeder Hall may happen in the near future to accommodate expansion in the program, Jolley said. As for now, no plans have been made to move any of the theme floors for the upcoming academic year.
“There has been a lot of student objections of turning Reeder Hall into a theme hall,” Jolley said, “So, we decided to try again just to see this next year and how it goes for one floor and how many people we have above and beyond what we can accommodate and see if it justifies going to a second floor.”
The objection for expanding theme housing is the possible alienation of students who do not wish to live in a theme building, Jolley said.
“Not all students want to be in theme housing”, Jolley said. “They don’t want extra activities and they don’t really feel the need for a peer mentor.”
Melanie Fillmore, a resident assistant (RA) and a senior majoring in deaf education, said, “There should always be housing without theme floors.”
Next year will be another observation year to conclude whether or not expansion is necessary or wanted by students. However, housing is hesitant about expansion, Jolley said.
“We’re hesitant to assign a theme floor if not enough people are going to live there because we have learned in the past that it is a nightmare when you put people on the floor that don’t want to be there or are randomly assigned – it just makes it so there is no community,” Jolley said.
Theme housing was created several years ago with Global Village, an idea by professor David Lancy, director of the honors program, Jolley said. Lancey wanted to create a residence hall that united international students and honor students, Jolley said, and then other theme floors started to become available soon after that.
“If students want to get more out of their education, that’s what theme housing is about,” Jolley said. “They get those extra opportunities and extra support.”
There are three types of theme floors available to students, Jolley said: Five freshmen interest groups (FIG), six academic lifestyles and three community lifestyles.
One of the benefits of living on a theme floor, Jolley said, is often students have the same classes and are able to form study groups. Also, new to the program this year is the creation of peer mentors for each theme floor, Jolley said.
“They really enjoy having the peer mentor as a support, because that is someone they can go to look over their paper, help them with registration or just comfort them if they are feeling homesick,” Jolley said.
Before the creation of peer mentors, Jolley said, the resident assistant took on the responsibilities as a peer mentor and planned activities. However, some RAs did not feel comfortable planning activities because they were not in the same major as the theme floor, Jolley said, and had other responsibilities to maintain with the rest of their building.
Christina Hamilton, a peer mentor for the American Sign Language floor and a freshman majoring in theater arts, said she supports expanding theme housing.
Popularity for theme housing has increased over the last couple of years, said Jolley, who has been the theme housing coordinator for two years. She said many students who live on a theme floor request the same floor for the following year.
Keaton Walker, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies and a resident on the natural resources floor, plans to return to the same floor next year.
“I really enjoy living with individuals who I have things in common with,” Walker said. “I am planning on living here next year for my third year.”
For the last two years, Housing has conducted focus groups in the fall to obtain feedback from students about their living conditions and whether or not the themed floors are beneficial. Therefore changes can be made to accommodate the needs of students, Jolley said.
“I know this is a brand new program, and it’s got a lot of wrinkles to work out,” Jolley said. “I love when students have ideas. I want this program to succeed and be really positive.”
The academic lifestyles are doing well, Jolley said, with many students returning from previous years, such as the engineering, natural resources and American Sign Language.
“Students said they like living with people who are different, but share their same interest,” Jolley said.
Melanie Fillmore, an RA and a senior majoring in deaf education, said she understands the importance of expanding theme housing.
“It creates an environment where it is really easy to create a support system – a community,” Fillmore said.
Jolley said, “Having a peer mentor on each floor, they get to know these people on a more personal level, which helps build a stronger community.”
Peer mentors need to either be in the same major as the theme floor or have past experience in able to give residents advice, academic support and help when students need it, Jolley said. There are about 20 peer mentors hired each year.
“We’ve created a new student job,” Jolley said. “It’s a resume builder and it is something that is really good to get into graduate school.”
Peer mentors see the difference in how theme housing helps residents, Hamilton said.
“Theme housing helps the residents bond more than any other apartment would – it’s just fun living here,” Hamilton said.
New ideas for theme floors come from focus groups and also approaching faculty and students, Jolley said. Housing needs both faculty and students to come together and request a theme floor; therefore there is faculty support to help aid the program. There has been interest in creating a “women in science” floor, Jolley said, but housing is waiting for more conformation.
“Students are always welcome to suggest ideas for us,” Jolley said.
Last year’s application created problems with students being placed randomly on theme floors, Jolley said, “that was a problem on our part.” Now, the redesigned housing application explains in more detail what a theme floor entails, Jolley said, and students who choose theme housing have to list their top three preferences.
Students do not have to have the same major as the theme floor, but are encouraged to have a common interest in the theme, Jolley said.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu