Res Life considers giving freshmen rooming preferences

The new policy would take freshmen into account before returners.

By Zachary Murdock

Published Oct. 23, 2009

The Department of Residential Life is considering giving freshmen, rather than seniors, preference when choosing rooms in residence halls this spring.

Over the past two years, MU has seen a major influx in the size of the freshman class and is already beginning to address the problem of additional housing.

Last year, Residential Life added Mizzou Quads and Tiger Diggs as student housing. These sites, located off campus at Campus Lodge and Campus View apartment complexes, helped to house an unexpectedly large freshman class for the 2008-2009 school year and continue to serve students this semester.

"We, based on past trends, can project to some degree of accuracy about how many of the students, both new students and returning students, want to live on campus," Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said.

The university houses approximately 85 to 88 percent of freshmen, Minor said. Although the campus has ample room for student room transfers and small additions, another larger-than-projected freshman class might disrupt the department's ideas about meeting student demand.

"We've had significant increase in freshman enrollment, but also we've had a dramatic increase in the number of returning students who have wanted to come back," Minor said. "It's kind of the perfect storm of situations."

Minor said the quality of residence halls is the main factor drawing upperclassmen back.

"I've got to believe that's because were providing better programs, services and facilities that students find much more meaningful and helpful," Minor said. "We want our students to feel like they have full access to the campus's services. What we're concerned about is whether or not we're getting the best bang for their buck in extended campus."

In an effort to address the problem from all perspectives, Minor and Residential Life are working with the Residence Halls Association. This past week Minor met with RHA to discuss the issue.

RHA is working on a proposal for the future of extended campus and the relevance of upperclassman preference.

"We're trying to balance two ideas," RHA Speaker of Congress Blake Lawrence said. "One is that freshman should have the best on campus experience possible in the residence halls. But also that returners should be able to contribute to that community and reap its benefits."

Lawrence said the proposal could cause real results.

"It's a real problem, and they're looking for real solutions," Lawrence said. "I really have a lot of confidence that they'll take our proposal seriously."