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Students discuss possible new residency reqirements

September 17, 2010

by Megan Morin

As residents of Lewis & Clark, on-campus students are in a unique position to give feedback about the development of the campus and what it would mean to the student population.
Last Tuesday, Sept. 7, Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer Celestino Limas conducted a series of open discussions in order to access the residents’ insightful perspective on the prospect of a new residence hall and/or a new three-year residency requirement.
He spent the evening migrating from residence hall to residence hall in pursuit of opinions, criticisms, and collaboration. His goal with these preliminary dialogues was to establish the general feeling of the student population in regards to these propositions.
The possibility of a new residence hall arises from the College’s current financial situation. In 2007 the school discussed the possibility of building a new Templeton Student Center where Akin currently stands, and in turn building a new residence hall to replace Akin. The new residence hall would be built in the forested area between Hartzfeld Hall and Campus Facilities, would have 171 beds, and the size of the rooms would be larger than the current singles and doubles.
However, when the school received their third-quarter financial statistics in 2008, the prospect was suddenly out of the question: the endowment was down 20% and a new Templeton simply wasn’t a financial possibility. Though the recession nixed the possibility of a new student center, this financial crisis also causes interest rates to drop— meaning that now would be the ideal time for the school to refinance the large amounts of secure debt they have. The College also realized that if they wanted to take out a loan for a new residence hall (which would cost close to $40,000,000) they could couple the refinancing and the loan together and save about $500,000.
Since the College already has the plans for the new residence hall from the 2007 proposal it would be fairly straightforward to start building if they were to take out the loan.
The hope is that the new residence hall will pay for itself over a 20 to 25 year period. While Limas feels that there is a demand for more on campus living, he, and the rest of the administration, are concerned that if it doesn’t fill up they will not receive adequate returns on their investment.
As Limas sees it, there are two options to ensure that the new hall will be filled. The first option is to make the new hall more desirable to convince more upperclassmen to stay on campus. The second option is to increase the residency requirement to three years. If a three-year requirement were to come into effect, all current LC students would be grandfathered in (meaning the two-year requirement would still apply), as well as prospective students that are currently high school seniors, since the two-year policy has already been advertized. Therefore, the new requirement would start with the freshman class beginning in of Fall 2012.
The administration recognizes that many students move off campus because off-campus housing is more affordable. However, Limas emphasized that the cost of living on campus is comprehensive—it includes cleaning, services, furnishing, convenience, and community advantages. But he also recognizes that this could be an opportunity to re-evaluate the price of on-campus living.
Finally, independence is central to the issue of a three-year requirement. Many are of the opinion that living off campus allows students to prepare for post-graduation circumstances. Limas noted that the requirement has an “element of imposition” to it, is an issue he wants to compromise on.
Throughout the discussion, Celestino emphasized the spirit of collaboration and cooperation with the student body. He wanted students to understand that “we can be partners on this.”
    These discussions are only the first round of student feedback, and no decisions have been made.
    “This is not a fait accompli,” said Limas. There is a limited time frame for the building of the new residence hall due to refinancing being coupled with the loan. While the administration is trying to make the most informed and beneficial decision for the student body, Limas said, “People never make good, wise, thorough decisions in the checkout line.”
    Overall the discussions raised many questions and critisisms, but much of it was productive. Students voiced complaints and offered suggestions ranging from making all the existing dorms more sustainable, to making the new dorm more like an apartment that students would furnish themselves that could compete with rent in the neighborhood.
    Limas will continue to discuss the issue in a variety of forums with students in the weeks to come in order to reach a well-informed decision that reflects the needs of the students.