February 27–March 4, 2008, Number 483
Get Your Groove On!
On-Campus Living, that is. The time is drawing near for students currently living in the residence halls to re-contract and with it comes plenty of changes. This week I sat down with several staff members for the University to get a scoop on what's going to be taking place in the residence halls for next year. This article is going to describe what on-campus living is all about as well as re-contracting information, the changes taking place, and other good information about living in the residence halls.
So I'm sure many of you are wondering what "Get Your Groove On-Campus Living" is all about. This is the theme for this year's re-contracting into the residence halls. Every year it is different and unique and it is just one way to help the students know about the key dates for signing up. Information about the re-contracting process can be found at the Get Your Groove On-Campus Living website. Here students can learn about what they need to do for getting prepared for the process of resigning into the residence halls and also can learn about the changes taking place. There is a specific process for signing up and the goal is to allow students to make the choice as to where they would like to live for next year. There is nothing that really stops students from changing rooms, changing floors, or changing residence halls all together. I really encourage your students to pick an area that suits them and their needs. Since there are so many areas to choose from it can be a fun experience to stay in the residence halls.
The most important date for your student to be aware about for living in the Residence Halls for next year is the March 1 re-contracting date. This is the day in which they can re-contract into the room they are currently living in. For any of the other times to re-contract into other Residence Halls, a different room, etc., check out the Re-contracting Time Line webpage.
Okay, so now here's the scoop on the changes. One of the big ones is a change in the meal plans. Starting next year the three different meal plans will be called silver, gold and platinum. With each plan the student will have unlimited meal swipes. That's right, unlimited! This means that the student can swipe in as many times as they would like during the day to get food, a quick snack, something to drink, etc.; sky's the limit on this and I'm sure the students will love this aspect of the meal plan. For more information about the changes to meal-plans check out the 2008-09 Meal Plans webpage. Also, for any of the first year students that are planning on attending Michigan Tech in the fall of 2008, they will receive more information about the meal plan changes in the summer and the Residential Dinning website will be updated in July for changing the meal plan. The recommended choice of meal plans is the Gold Package which includes 8 guest meal swipes (per semester) and $120 in dining dollars (per semester) along with the unlimited meal swipe access.
The other changes that will be implemented next year are going to be the development of Learning Communities. For those of you who aren't sure what a Learning Community is, I will discuss them in a little detail, tell you the ones that Michigan Tech is currently offering and then share information about the new ones. "Learning Communities are unique residence hall living areas designed to enhance your life at Michigan Tech. Communities blend programming with additional peer staff to help you achieve academic and personal success." Basically, the Learning Communities are set up to aid in the student's achievement while attending Michigan Tech and providing them with a living space that fits their desires. Currently, there are 5 Learning Communities set up: First Year Experience (FYE), Computer Science Learning Community (CSLC), Forest Resources and Environment Science (FRES, a.k.a. "Tree House"), International House (I-House), and Healthy Living House (HLH).
FYE is a program designed for first year students only, with opportunities for them to get out and get active on campus allowing them to experience Michigan Tech to the fullest! Living within this community is a great way to make lasting friendships as well as have an easy transition into college life. CSLC is a community set up for those students who are studying computer science, software engineering, and computer systems science. This hall was recently expanded to consist of 60 residents total, allowing more students to take advantage of this co-ed living facility. FRES or "Tree House" is a learning community for Forestry and Environmental Science majors as well as for students within the interests of what that degree program entails. This hall will give students the opportunity to enjoy their degrees and classes more fully by getting out into the field and working closely with staff and faculty. I-House is an interesting community that combines all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. The students have opportunities to live with international students and learn about the diverse cultures that are out there while attending Michigan Tech. HLH is a learning community that was started when FYE students who loved their experience wanted to continue to live together as upperclassmen. This hall is a great opportunity for your student to continue living in an area that challenges them to become a better person, take part in great activities and sports and have a great college experience.
The two new Learning Communities for Fall 2008 are going to be Visual and Performing Arts Learning Community (VPALC) and the Leadership Learning Community (LLC). The VPALC will be located in Wadsworth Hall and will be an area designated for any student that is currently enrolled at Michigan Tech and receiving a major or minor, taking a class, or participate in any aspect of the Visual and Performing Arts department. This community sounds like it will be a lot of fun for those students that enjoy music, acting, or sound/visual design of any kind. LLC is going to be set up for those students wishing to expand upon their leadership skills while attending college. This program will be located in Douglas Houghton Hall and will be a great way for your student to continue to grow and build upon their leadership/teamwork skills.
All of the different learning communities mentioned above can be great ways for your student to enjoy their college years at Michigan Tech and they are suited to help them gain the very best experience. Please feel free to check out Compass' website where you can learn more about the programs that are being offered in the learning communities.
The last thing I would like to talk about in regards to on-campus living are the Daniel Heights Apartments that are available to Michigan Tech students, faculty, and staff. For the students there are a total of 80 single student apartments available and then the remaining 260 are kept for families, students with dependants, or faculty and staff. The waiting list for Daniel Heights is all done online with preference going to those with dependants and also preference given to those students who are currently living on-campus in the Residence Halls and wish to move into the apartments. A student is required to log into the system in order to get access to information about the waiting list for the Daniel Heights, and the web site explains how preference works and anything else they would need to know.
If there are any questions about any aspect of this article feel free to contact me at my personal email address and I'll be happy to assist in any way that I can. As always send me any suggestions or article ideas you may have, as they will help me help you the best I can. Good luck with helping your students choose a place to live for next school year, whether it be on or off campus.
Until next week,
**Note of thanks to Travis Pierce (Director of Residence Life), Patti Kirk (Compass), and Bob Hiltunen (General Manager Dining Services) for the assistance of information they provided in this article.**
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