SEAHO Report - Summer 2012 - (Page 26)

SEAHO FAFFAIRS AROUND THE REGION STUDENT EATURE Alabama Updates University of Alabama The University of Alabama Housing and Residential Communities The University of Alabama is also currently constructing a 970-bed super suite style residence hall that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. This new hall will replace Rose Towers which has been a popular apartment community on the UA campus for many years. The new hall is the first phase of the Presidential Village. Later stages will include a 114,000 square foot, stand-alone student activity center which is scheduled to open in early 2014. The Board of Trustees also recently approved the final portion of the Presidential Village - another 860-bed super suite style residence hall that is planned for an August 2014 opening. We are pleased to have these outstanding additions to our staff. We welcome Dr. Chris Holland as the new Director of Residential Communities, Andrew Hester as a Community Director, and Marc Knight as Billing Coordinator. Gretchen Lynum and Reginald Lane, after completing their Master’s Degree from Mississippi State, have recently joined UA as Community Directors. Matt Kerch has also just joined the UA staff as the Director of Housing Operations. Matt comes to us from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he was an Assistant Director for Residence Life. University of West Alabama For the 2012 – 2013 academic year, UWA Housing is implementing 6 living learning communities for freshmen students in our newest residence hall and 2 living learning communities for our upperclass students. The six communities for freshmen include Healthy U, Nursing, Teachers of Tomorrow, World of Women, Service and Leadership, and Creative Arts; the two communities for upperclass students are Nursing and Academic Honors. This will be the first year for living learning communities on the UWA campus and the response has been positive thus far. Hall Directors for the 2012 – 2013 year have been hired and include Travis Moore (Reed and Patterson Halls), Jeremy Sheffield (Hoover Apartments), and Ashley Brackin (Stickney Hall). UWA also had a successful Resident Assistant recruitment, receiving 84 applications (including 23 from staff requesting to return) to fill 27 positions. UWA has increased the GPA required for the RA position from 2.0 in 2010 and 2.25 in 2011, to a 2.5 this year. While the overall number of applications declined slightly, the increased GPA requirement led to a higher quality pool of candidates and resulted in an overall average GPA of 3.2 amongst staff hired. Finally, UWA is in the process of recruiting and hiring a Residence Life Coordinator, the first entry-level housing professional position at UWA. This new professional will be responsible for Gilbert Hall, the 459-bed freshman housing facility opening in August 2012. Florida Updates St. Leo University Saint Leo University is excited to host an ACUHO-I intern, Kimberly Hardin of UWF, this summer. In August 2012 Saint Leo’s newest residence hall will open with over 150 new beds in suite-style living. Each suite will feature a built in flat-screen television in the common room. The first floor of the Residence Hall will feature campus community space including video gaming and television areas, an additional cardio fitness center, a large custom saltwater aquarium, an arcade game room, and state of the art nap pods which surround occupants in a private space that shuts out external stimuli and reclines in an “optimum resting position” to maximize blood flow. An additional music/light system can be adjusted for rest or wake preferences within the nap pod. With the new building we will be increasing our student staff by nine, adding additional Resident Assistants and the position of Resident Assistant Directors for each of 26 SEAHO Report Summer 2012

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SEAHO Report - Summer 2012