[Vision2020] UI Considers Making Freshmen Live on Campus

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Spokesman Review at:

http://www.Spokesman.com

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UI considers making freshmen live on campus

MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho is pitching a plan that would
require most of its first-year students to live on campus.

Administrators at the Moscow campus say the move would bolster residency
hall occupation and generate additional $700,000 in revenue for housing
and dining services.

But more importantly, they say, the policy shift could boost retention
rates for first-year students. A 2008 study by the university found that
88 percent of students who lived in residence halls or the Greek system
returned for their second year, while only 58 percent of new students who
lived off campus returned for their sophomore year.

“This is one strategy that we feel is important to incorporate in our plan
to improve the first-year experience,” Bruce Pitman, Vice Provost for
Student Affairs, told the Lewiston Tribune.

New President Duane Nellis has approved the policy and other steps being
considered by the university to improve first-year retention rates.

The next step is for university officials to sketch out the details to the
state Board of Education when it meets Thursday in Pocatello. A board vote
on the proposal would come later.

University officials are hoping to establish the policy in time for the
2010 fall semester.

The proposal includes a few exceptions. For example, first-year students
who are married with children would be exempt. It also exempts those
opting to live at home with parents, first-year students older than 21 or
those with at least 30 credits completed.

Pitman said the university’s goal is to boost overall first-year student
retention rates to 85 percent in the next three years, up from the current
rate of 78 percent.

Although living on campus can be more expensive, Pitman said it’s worth
the price for students to stay in school and perform better in the
classroom.

Students living on campus are closer to resources, more socially connected
to campus life and more engaged in their own learning, Pitman said.

“There are some very real reasons why starting your academic experience on
campus really matters,” he said.

Several other regional universities already require freshmen to live on
campus, including Washington State University, Central Washington
University, Montana State University, University of Montana, Colorado
State University, University of Colorado and the University of Wyoming.

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Seeya at Farmers' Market, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown