MSU students looking for a taste of off-campus living without crossing Grand River Avenue will have an opportunity to do so next fall, thanks to a new student retention program that will increase the number of single room dorms on campus.
The program is targeted at creating single room dorm communities in four residence halls — Butterfield, Abbot, Wonders and McDonel halls – for returning students, said Sharri Margraves, director of Campus Living Services, a unit of the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services. She said the program would increase the number of returning students in Abbot and Butterfield halls, as well as reserve four floors of co-ed dorms for upperclassmen in McDonel and Wonders halls.
“What we’re saying to returning students is, ‘If you want a single, here’s a place you might be happy,’” Margraves said. “Over time, it is possible a community of returning students might be created.”
The university expects about 7,000 students to return to the dorms in the fall. On average, Margraves said the university assigns between 1,700 to 1,800 singles each semester.
“What we’re intending is a different environment for returning students,” Margraves said. “We want something different than the typical freshman experience.”
Communication senior Katie Szynkowski said she thought students would be interested in obtaining singles on campus because it would give them a sense of independence without the hassle of finding an apartment.
“Part of the reason that kids leave is so they can get singles — like single rooms,” Szynkowski said. “I think it might be good for some kids.”
Residence Life Director Paul Goldblatt said part of dealing with the changing community will involve hiring more resident mentors.
“We’re looking at staffing a higher number of individuals, but we’re not sure in what areas because the decision to implement this program was made recently,” Goldblatt said.
The returning student communities will be located in dorms with a larger number of upperclassmen, such as McDonel Hall, said Mary Lou Heberlein, Campus Living Services’ assistant director of guest services. She said halls already with large upperclassman populations, such as Shaw Hall, were not targeted. However, Heberlein said a residence hall targeted for single rooms still might contain doubles.
Margraves said she does not anticipate a shortage of rooms because the ratio of singles to available rooms will remain the same. The makeup of Mason-Abbot, which currently houses 580 students, will not change significantly, but the amount of singles might increase in Abbot Hall.
“We’re still working on the budget,” Margraves said. “And we expect to be able to accommodate everyone this year. If it’s successful, we can have space (and) more room by adding more floors.”
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