Aug. 21, 1996 BOZEMAN -- Montana kids are used to having their own rooms, and when they head for college, they want the same, according to officials at Montana State University-Bozeman.
"What stands out more than anything is the need and desire for a private room," Glenn Lewis said as he talked about trends and changes in residence life at MSU-Bozeman. Lewis is assistant vice provost and director of auxiliaries at the university.
"Most of us when we were growing up, expected to share a room with someone else (at college). In fact, most of us shared a room or bedroom with a brother or sister," Lewis said. "That pretty much is not the case any more. Most students who come to MSU have had the availability of their own room, and they expect it here."
Moving in with a roommate can be quite a shock for a student who has lived alone for 17 or 18 years, Lewis observed. "Particularly when they all bring their stereos and boom boxes and computers and television sets."
MSU generally starts out with 300 single rooms in the fall, Lewis said. Toward the end of the year, the number might jump to 800 as students move off campus or leave school. The university allows students to live alone in double or single rooms as space allows. Double rooms cost extra.
When students have to or want to have a roommate, the university tries to make sure that roommates are compatible, said Tammie Brown, director of residence life.
"We hand assign all roommates," she said. "We take the time and care to really look through their housing applications for special living habits and desires in terms of smoking, early to bed, late to bed, neat, not so neat, with some consideration as well to their year in school and age of residents."
Once they arrive on campus, roommates have the opportunity to discuss their likes and dislikes, negotiate their differences and then sign a roommate contract so problems will be easier to handle, Brown said. Staff members are trained to look for conflicts and taught how to deal with them.
Today's students have more living options than residents had in the past, Brown added. A woman, for example, can choose to live in an all female, no smoking building at MSU-Bozeman. Students who prefer co-ed living and no smoking can find a place at North Hedges. Johnstone Center is the place for students who are 21 and over and want a single room in a co-ed building. Students of all ages who are more serious about their studies can request a room on a study floor where quietness is required for up to 22 hours a day. Students who want an international experience can sign up for a roommate from another country.
"The world is becoming one big global community," Brown said. "We have got a lot of students who want to experience a different culture while attending MSU."
Pairing international and American students in a room is new this fall, although two quadrangles have long been set aside for international housing, Brown said. Another innovation is a community involvement floor. Students who want to live on 10th floor South Hedges have to sign a contract that they will be involved in at least three community volunteer projects per semester.
It's important to her that students enjoy the residence halls, Brown said. She knows first-hand, after all, what it's like to have a bad experience. After attending MSU for one year as an undergraduate, Brown said she left the university in part because of an unsatisfactory experience in the dorms.
"Frankly, that's what drives me to make it as homelike and personal as possible," Brown said.
MSU's first new dormitory in 30 years will try to address the dual need for privacy and a community environment, Brown said. The $6.4-million project being built next to North Hedges and the SOB Barn will consist of two three-story buildings. Open to upperclass students, each will contain 67 private one-bedroom/bathroom units. Every unit will be arranged in a suite, with two to four bedrooms per suite.
"This is going to be a really popular living option," Brown said about the brick residence hall that is scheduled to open for the fall of 1997.
Other changes at MSU-Bozeman include a new addition at North Hedges where students can attend classes, study in an airy solarium or work together in private conference rooms. The same residence hall offers a convenience store where students can buy snacks and school supplies without leaving the building.
To handle the influx of personal computers, Lewis said the university is in the process of installing equipment so students can plug in their computers and have access to any computer in the world from their rooms. The $1.25 million project will also allow students to receive television in their rooms. Eventually, they'll be able to watch some of their classes via closed circuit TV.
Go to Current and Classic MSU-Bozeman Feature Stories Organized by Topic
You are the 10638th person to access this page.