The
Springhillian February 16, 2017
Volume 104 Issue 2 ∙ Ad Majorem Del Gloriam
RES LIFE CHANGES STUDENT LIVING
Kerri Ebanks | Reporter
Students can expect to see improvements made in the near future in Residence Life’s housing process. In an email sent Feb. 14 from the Office of Residence Life, they shared they will offer an option for students to “buyout” the extra empty bed in their room. This will eliminate the chance of a student being assigned to an empty bed in a resident’s room. This new system will begin this semester, Spring 2017. Students interested in buying out their room must first make sure they are eligible. In the past, students were only able to reside in a single room or obtain a double room by pure luck. In a Res Life document it says, “Residents in traditional living situations may submit a request to move to an open room on a first come first serve basis.” This means that if a resident does not make the cut, they will be put on a waitlist. However, this does not mean that they will have a lot of rooms available because Res Life will “reserve some vacant doubles for emergency situations in each building.” The Office of Res Life plans to start fresh by reshaping the on-campus living experience, with renovations and programming for example. This past year, Res Life was operated by a staff of four, who were all new to SHC. They were led by the Interim Director of Residence Life, Joy Morris, who proceeded Pete Rivera. The staff transformation gave students the opportunity to voice more concerns, helping Res Life cater more to the needs of students. Another plan is sprucing up residence halls to improve the living environment for students, as well as help campus living feel more secure and at home. Assistant Director of Res Life, Amanda Thompson says she is looking forward to renovating O’Leary Hall because it “has the pod feeling,
Fairway Apartments are for full-time seniors. | Photo:Spring Hill College like Skips Hall.” Thompson added they plan to make changes to the common room area by adding furniture and repainting walls. The Living Learning Communities were designed to give students the opportunity to live in the same pod as those sharing similar interests. However, after much consideration, the Res Life staff made an executive decision to suspend and reevaluate the program. Thompson says this will give them the chance to recreate a more successful program than those used in past years. Students can expect the LLC program to be reinstated
Fall 2018. Thompson also shared that her main goal is to make housing selection “as smooth as possible.” Last year, a number of students were frustrated with the housing process, and having to select living arrangements during finals. Since the on-campus student experience is the main focus Res Life, changes were made to the upcoming housing process. Instead of making selections online, students will meet in-person with Res Life and be guided through the entire process.
IN WITH THE NEW, OUT WITH THE OLD
Sydney Clark | Reporter
A new freshmen class is gearing up for the fall arrival at Spring Hill College! With the spring semester nearly halfway over and Spring Break right around the corner, current seniors don’t have much time until graduation in May. However, several students are excited to welcome the incoming students. Senior Dominique Howard explains why she is pumped for incoming students to come to the Hill, “Freshmen remind me of all the excitement life has to offer. They come in with all these dreams and ambitions, all brighteyed and bushy-tailed. It’s refreshing.” The new freshman class getting ready to come on campus is bittersweet for this anonymous student who said, “I’m very excited to welcome the baby badgers to the Hill! I remember being super excited to begin my journey on the Hill back when I was in their shoes. Spring Hill is such a special and unique place, and I will miss it dearly when I walk down the Avenue of the Oaks next spring!” Kendrick Dunklin, the Director of Admissions at SHC, provides some background information and updates about the soon-to-be Badgers.
Dunklin says that it is “still early for [Admissions] right now in recruitment to make any hard projections, but the focus is to recruit academically talented students that can retain and graduate from [SHC].” Dunklin also mentioned that the Admissions team has seen “an increase in applications from [African-American] and Hispanic students, but it is not due to any change in strategy. We remain dedicated to recruiting students [who] are ready to be challenged academically, socially and spiritually.” Spring Hill College Badger Connection intern sophomore Hannah Martin said, “I love seeing the transition of confidence from Badger Connection to when school starts back. I also love seeing the new faces around campus and creating friendships that will last a lifetime!” Dunklin talked about Scholarship Day, which is one of
the biggest events of the year that prospective students come to. “It was a huge success, and we are excited to contact and announce the recipients of the Spring Hill Scholar Awards.” This year, the full-ride award went to five students. The next Badger Day open house is coming up next week on Monday, Feb. 20. Dunklin said that the Admissions team is “expecting about 75 prospective students and their families.” The biggest event of the year for Admissions, Welcome to the Hill, is right around the corner on April 8. Dunklin said, “It’s an accepted student event, and it’s the beginning of their experience as a Spring Hill College student. Current SHC students, be sure to welcome these brand new Badgers on campus because they may be on the Hill this fall!