|
|
Columns::March 24, 2003
Second in charge: Interim senior vice president named permanent provost
Men’s basketball coach, two players suspended; team forgoes postseason
$1.1 million NSF grant funds three-year study of interaction of algebra learning, teaching
Famed scientist will discuss biodiversity preservation at spring Charter Lecture
Symposium marks microbiology’s 50th year
‘Advocates in action’
Professor teaches students how to make beautiful music together
Retirees
Newsmakers
Forum essay: What make the world so round
After school specials
Campus News
Cabinet adopts policy requiring first-year students to live on campus
By Beth Roberts
beth@uga.edu
At its March 11 meeting, the cabinet adopted a new policy requiring first-year students to live in campus housing.
Arnett Mace, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, who presented the proposal, said that the aim was to
 |
| Currently, 85 percent of first-year students live on campus. By fall 2004, 1,200 more beds will be available in East Campus Village (above) and a renovated Myers Hall. (Photo by Paul Efland) |
enhance the academic experience for students. The first year of undergraduate study is, he said, “a critical time for personal and intellectual growth. Building the new learning environment--one of the elements of the strategic plan--means promoting an academic community, where in-class and out-of-class learning are integrated.”
Currently, according to Mace, 85 percent of first-year students live on campus. By fall of 2004, sufficient space for the rest of the entering class will be available, with the addition of 1,200 beds in East Campus Village and a renovated Myers Hall.
A student will be able to obtain an exemption from the policy on the basis of marital or transfer status, prior military service, or other individual circumstances.
Exemption details are being developed, with input from student representatives, and will be presented to the cabinet for approval later this year.
“I’ve long believed that living on campus is better for the students and for the institution,” said President Michael F. Adams. “Students who live on campus perform better and are more engaged in the life of the university.”
Students who live in UGA residence halls regularly earn higher GPAs than those living off campus, according to Jim Day, director of University Housing.
“There is an abundance of evidence--nationally and here--that students who live on campus perform better,” he says. “And the partnerships that the housing department and Student Affairs have developed over the past several years with academic units on campus have really enriched the lives of the students. Of course, all students can participate--but it’s a real advantage for residents to have advising and tutoring and that kind of support right down the hall.”
Dick Mullendore, vice president for student affairs, agrees that students are better off beginning their undergraduate years in a residence hall. “As a parent of a first-year student, I certainly insisted that my daughter live on campus,” he said. “I began my career running residence halls, and I know the benefits that accrue.”
Several other colleges and universities require first-year students to live in residence halls. Flagship public universities with such a requirement include the University of Virginia, Indiana University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Tennessee and Penn State University. |
|
|
|
|
