Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2002
Ever since the Board of Trustees initiated a comprehensive and inclusive review of all aspects of residential life in October 1998, campus housing has received a great deal of attention. Plans have been made for a number of enhancements in the quality of residential life at Lawrence, including, among other items, expanding the number and variety of housing options for students, the construction of a new residence hall, and laying the groundwork for a new Campus Center in the years ahead.
This spring, several of these plans or aspirations for residential life began to bear fruit. In May, a new system of Formal Group Housing came into being with the assignment of group housing privileges for the 2002-03 academic year, and construction began in earnest on a new residence hall.
A new residence hall along the Fox
At a groundbreaking ceremony on May 2, trustees and members of the Lawrence community took turns with shovels, symbolically unearthing the site of the college's new $15.3 million residence hall.
Located on the hillside behind Ormsby Hall and extending outward and down toward the Fox River, the 79,500-square-foot building will house 183 students in suite-style accommodations. The first new residence hall constructed at Lawrence since Kohler Hall was built in 1967, the building will be completed in time for the opening of the 2003-04 academic year.
The majority of the residential spaces in the new building will be four-person suites, each suite having two bedrooms joined by a study or common space, along with an individual bathroom with shower. Each floor will have a lounge and quiet study room, and three of the four residential floors will have common kitchen facilities for student use. The building will be air-conditioned and contain a laundry room, fitness area, and a multi-purpose room for programs and events.
Many suites will have a superb view of the Fox River, while others will overlook a garden terrace. An attractive courtyard will be constructed in the area between Ormsby Hall and the main entrance of the new residence hall.
An $8 million gift by an anonymous donor will launch the project, and a bond issue by the college used to fund the remainder of construction costs.
Formal Group Housing takes effect Also in May, the Formal Group Housing Selection and Review Board completed its first round of housing assignments, for student groups desiring to live together during the 2002-03 academic year.
Formal Group Housing, a new system of residential living created as an outgrowth of the proposals of the Task Force on Residential Life, is a housing option available to viable student organizations that have a shared mission, an organizational structure, a desire to live together in campus housing, and a willingness to be responsible for the privilege of occupying such housing.
Formal Group Housing was designed to increase the range of housing options available at Lawrence by allowing students to experience the benefits and rewards of small group living while at the same time ensuring equitable access to residential facilities. For the 2002-03 academic year, nine residential units were made available for Formal Group Housing purposes, ranging in capacity from seven to 27 beds. Eight additional units were set aside for shorter-term theme houses and the general housing lottery for individual, unaffiliated students wanting to live in small houses.
For the first year of Formal Group Housing, groups have been assigned variable lengths of occupancy by lottery, to set into motion an alternating cycle of application and approval across all units that become available for such housing. Once a rotation system is established, all future occupancies will be for a standard three-year period, with an opportunity to reapply for residency.
The Formal Group Housing Selection and Review Board is comprised of student appointees, one faculty member, and the dean of students. The application process for student groups takes place before the annual spring housing lottery for all students. In selecting among the applications for Formal Group Housing, the Board looks at the size of membership in the student group; whether it has a clearly articulated mission, a demonstrated history of active membership and responsible leadership, and an established organizational and governance structure; and whether the group has made a compelling case for how communal living and the privilege of Formal Group Housing will enhance its identity and activities. There is also an expectation that Formal Group Housing recipients demonstrate a commitment to the Lawrence and/or Fox Cities community through outreach or service activities, such as volunteering, raising money for worthy causes, or sponsoring speakers or programs of interest.
Formal Group Housing Selections for 2002-03 are:
Beta Theta Pi fraternity
Co-op House
Delta Tau Delta fraternity
Kappa Alpha Theta sorority
Outdoor Recreation Club
Phi Delta Theta fraternity
Phi Kappa Tau fraternity
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia men's music fraternity
Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity
Theme houses, which have been available to Lawrence students for many years, will still be offered. Theme houses, which are allocated by the Lawrence University Community Council, are available for groups of students who have a common interest that they wish to develop.
Students wishing to create a theme house are not held to the higher standards of self-organization present in Formal Group Housing, in large part because the privilege of living in a theme house is limited to one academic year (although groups such as the Outdoor Recreation Club may and have applied for a renewal of their housing privilege and have lived together for more than one year). Successful candidates for theme houses do, however, need to demonstrate how their "theme" for group living and the house's activities will provide a service to students and the Lawrence community that is not available anywhere else on campus.
Among the theme houses in recent years were the EARTH House (Environmental Activism and Responsibility Theme House); At Risk Youth, a house devoted to youth mentoring in the community; the Music Performance House and the Music Education House; the Cancer Awareness House; the Globe Theatre House; and the Outdoor Recreation Club House.