The residence halls at K-State have seen an unexpected surge this year in the number of interested residents, which has caused an issue of overcrowding.
    “We don’t see it as a problem, but as an indicator of our success,” said Derek Jackson, associate director of administrative services and residence life. “Students and parents have chosen the residence halls because we offer quality service, convenience and safety that you don’t always find in apartments and other off-campus options.”
    Jackson stressed that the increased interest is caused not only by a rise in the number of freshmen but also by an increase in upperclassmen returning to the dorms and international students coming to K-State.
    “We have seen hundreds more international students applying to live in the dorms,” he said. “The people recruiting international students to K-State have recommended the residence halls as a great way to build  community and meet new friends.”
    Jackson said only 70 incoming international students wanted to live on-campus last fall. He said the department has made accommodations for 251 international students in the residence halls for this fall.
    Sara Thurston-Gonzalez, director of the International Student Center, said K-State’s new recruiting office in China is largely responsible for the increase in international students on campus.
    “The new office in Beijing has generated more interest in Kansas State throughout China,” she said. “The recruiters over there endorse the dorms instead of private apartments and houses, so that fills a lot of rooms.”
    In response to this overflow, Housing and Dining Services has renovated some of the study rooms in Haymaker Hall, creating one extra  four-person room on each floor. The study rooms in West Hall, Putnam Hall and Boyd Hall are also being used to house students. These three halls have been used for overflow in previous years.
    Brian Jaworksi, residence life coordinator for Haymaker Hall, said the rooms are comparable to any other dorm room.
    “Each room is set up with four beds, four desks and four wardrobes, all of which are brand new,” he said. “The only drawback is the study rooms [were] on the suite wing of each floor, so students must use the community bathroom on a different wing.”
    Jaworski said there will be converted study rooms on floors two through nine, and they were scheduled to be ready by move-in day.
    “We have done everything we can to be ready for the students and to make the whole process run smoothly,” he said.
    In addition to their work at Haymaker, Housing and Dining Services also has opened 11 two-bedroom Jardine apartments, offering those who live there a discount on the regular dorm rates — about $300 less a semester — if they are willing to commute for each meal to the Kramer Dining Complex and share the apartment between four people. 
    “The students living in these apartments will have all of their meals and utilities taken care of, just like in the dorms,” Jackson said. “This gives us a chance to bring the community atmosphere that we have in the residence halls to Jardine while freeing up rooms for incoming freshmen and international students.”
    Angela Muhwezi, freshman in biology, was one of the students chosen to live in Jardine Apartments. “My dorm room assignment never came, so we called and asked about it and were told to wait because there was an overcrowding issue,” she said.
    Muhwezi said she received a letter stating she was assigned to live in Jardine.
    “I am glad to be living there,” she said. “The apartment is really nice, and everything comes furnished — just like it would in the dorms.”
    Jackson said most of the apartments were offered to students returning to the dorms. In addition to the two-bedroom apartments, which come with year-long contracts, Housing and Dining Services will be using three-and four-bedroom apartments as temporary solutions to overcrowding issues as school begins.
    “Those apartments will have as many as eight occupants, which is just temporary until we can find them a room in one of the residence halls on campus,” Jackson said.
    To alleviate this issue in the future, he said Housing and Dining Services will continue to make renovations to create more rooms, and he only expects these high numbers will continue.
    “This year, we are approximately 300 contracts ahead of last year, which is a huge increase that we did not anticipate,” he said. “We will continue to seek out new ways to accommodate the growing number of students interested in living in the residence halls.”

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Mon Aug 25 2008 17:27

Where is the byline on this story? Also, it is concerning that a staff member's relative was interviewed for this story. Let's do some original reporting.

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