WHAT IMPLEMENTING COLLEGE-BASED HOUSING WOULD MEAN FOR MSU

By Thomas Cobb tcobb@statenews.com

Home to over 50,000 students and spread across 5,200 acres, Michigan State University possesses one of the nation’s largest campuses and housing programs.

Its 27 undergraduate residence halls are split between five neighborhoods and present students with ample residential options.

While MSU’s housing program offers several degree-granting residential colleges, residential communities and special interest communities, it has been absent of a full-scale, schoolbased housing system.

School-based housing is a system in which students reside with peers in their major program and are in proximity to their physical college.

The question remains, what would implementing school-based housing entail for MSU’s housing program?

MSU Residence Education and Housing Services, or REHS, Associate Director for Communications Bethany Balks said moving to a school-based housing system is not something she’s heard REHS considering, but doesn’t think is impossible. She said enforcing school-based housing would require several different things, including student and faculty approval.

“You’d have to have every college thinking about supportive programming,” Balks said. “You’d have to have student buy in that they’re okay with not necessarily having so much choice in where they live or who they live with, but that they’re focused on their school or college.”

It’s important to note that many students enter college undecided about their primary and career interests. Data shows students often change their minds about their desired major or college, particularly in the second year, Balks said.

“We have a lot of students that come here in the exploratory major,” Balks said. “They don’t necessarily want to be tied to a specific school or college.”

Accounting for students undecided on their major would not be the only issue facing the enactment of college-based housing. Balks said not all schools or colleges may have the resources or desire to build livinglearning communities.

Mason, Abbot, Snyder and Phillips Hall Community Director Zach Grover said the financial implications of living-learning communities require commitment from all parties involved.

“We have folks that propose livinglearning communities or residential colleges and they’re expensive,”