Residence halls full to capacity

by Brittany Berrens, Editor in Chief

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Record numbers of students are staying in the residence halls this year at the University of Wisconsin - Superior. So much so that the campus is going to be making a few changes.

Around 800 students moved into the residence halls this weekend, which is up 75 students from last year. It’s the highest number of dorm residents the campus has seen since the 1970s.

To accommodate these growing numbers, some lounge spaces will be used as four person rooms. Also, Ross hall is being used in its entirety this year after having empty space and part of the second floor leased out to a women’s shelter.

There is also talk of taking back Hawkes Hall for use as a residence hall. Hawkes has been leased out in years past to various local organizations such as the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse and the Elite School of Driving. While the hall is leased out for the year, the University is early in the planning stage to renovate both Hawkes and Ross halls for student use.

For Assistant Residence Hall Director Mickey Fitch, the influx of students is an exciting trend.

“This is an incredible time and opportunity for the UWS community and for all of the students currently attending UWS because it increases our diversity, effectiveness, and academic community for everyone here,” said Fitch.

While Fitch says this is a great moment for the residence halls, she acknowledges there will be some challenges.

“Movement among rooms is going to be incredibly limited through the entire academic year,” said Fitch.

According to survey results from residents last year, there were some issues with keeping a clean and quiet academically-focused community. With a growing number of students, this could be challenging for staff members and Resident Assistants.

Fitch said RA training this year focused on problems that can arise with such large amounts of residents. They role played scenarios that are likely to happen with such full-to-capacity dorms.

In addition, they have increased their staff by one member as a full RA in Ross Hall due to the reclaimed room space.

The growing number of students isn’t much of a surprise. According to Fitch, national trends in the last few years show an increase in enrollment for public universities and technical colleges across the country. The increase in enrollment can be attributed to a weakened economy and new academic standards for jobs.

While the number of students and dorm residents has grown, Fitch feels confident that the University can preserve it’s “public school with a private school feel;” especially in residence life.