The J-TAC

Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Campus Life

Media Credit: Caitlin Fuquay First-time freshmen and transfer students under the age of 21 with less than 12 hours enrolling at Tarleton starting in the fall 2010 will have to live on campus for two full academic years.

Effective Fall 2010, Tarleton freshmen will be required to live on campus for two full academic years, as opposed to the 30-hour requirement currently set in place, according to information provided by Director of Residential Living and Learning Elizabeth Wallace.

All first-time, first-year and transfer students under the age of 21 with less than 12 hours will be included in this requirement, regardless of how many hours they complete each semester after enrolling. Transfer students under the age of 21 with 12 or more hours will only be required to live on campus for one full academic year, beginning in the fall semester and concluding at the end of the spring semester. Dual credit hours are excluded from calculation.

Dr. Wanda Mercer, vice president for Student Life, said this is a combined effort of university administration and President F. Dominic Dottavio to enhance the college experience for students and to increase the probability of graduation.

"Studies show better connections for students who live on campus," Mercer said. "We try to do whatever we can to help [students] get a degree."

Wallace described the new living requirements as a "win-win" situation for freshmen.

"Students who live on campus are retained at a higher rate," Wallace said. She continued that these students often maintain a higher grade point average while still being located in the "heart of campus."

Mercer said the new initiative ties into the "Keeping It REAL: Real-world Experiences Applied to Learning" program set up by the university. This is a quality enhancement plan that will be set in place Fall 2010 to further develop student learning.

In order to accommodate for a larger number on-campus residents, the university will be making changes to the residential living and learning housing assignments.

Bender Hall, currently all male, shared room and community bath, will switch to all male, private rooms and Ferguson Hall, also currently all male, shared room and community bath, will become all female, private rooms. These will be the only residential halls that provide private rooms, and Wallace said she hopes this will encourage students looking for such accommodations to apply for housing early.

Hunewell and Hunewell Annex, currently all female, shared room suites, will become co-ed, although suite mates will be the same gender, Gough will remain
all-female, shared rooms and the new 300 bed, co-ed facility will house students in a split room, similar to those found in Centennial Hall.

Wallace added that these changes will help the university
to use housing spaces more efficiently. For example, some female students are currently assigned three to a room in Traditions Hall, while open rooms remain in the all-male Ferguson Hall.

Any student enrolled before fall 2010 will not be included in the extended on-campus housing requirements.

For more information, visit www.tarleton.edu/housing/index.html.

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