February Newsletter 2016
Housing & Residence Life
Highlights from the Director: Dee Dee Kanikkeberg Continuous Improvement Planning continues for this summer's renovation project in Wallace. As more details emerge, they will be shared with the department. We continue to discuss the feasibility of also launching the Wallace courtyard renovation. We are planning additional investments in Theophilus Tower as well. Our goal is to replace student room chairs and finish the installation of blackout drapes in rooms. Plans to begin small investments in McConnell Hall are also being discussed, as a bond of over $300,000 will be retired at the end of this fiscal year. We will start with common area carpet and paint. A longer term goal is to also invest in the common area showers with a similar type product as in Wallace.
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Painting student suites will be the major initiative undertaken in the Living Learning Communities this summer. We hope to get through 4 buildings with our own internal labor as well as using an outside vendor. While we have lost some ground in occupancy this spring, I am confident that we continue to move in the right direction as a department. Always remember that it is about Changing Student Lives and improving our students overall experience.
New LLC Benches Installed
Looking Forward Welcome New AVP: Alan Coker We are pleased to announce that we have a new Assistant Vice President for Auxiliary Services. Mr. Alan Coker accepted the position and began his duties on February 16. Alan joins us from The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina), where he served as the director of Auxiliary Enterprises. Welcome to the team Alan. We are happy to have you! New Filtered Water Station Have you seen the new water filling station outside of the Housing Office? This exciting new feature will help us to reduce our ecological footprint by eliminating waste from disposable Leadershop Skate Event plastic bottles. Give it a try today! Nominate for Staff Awards You are invited to nominate UI women for the 2016 Athena Women of the Year Award. Nominations are due Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 to Erin Chapman, chapman@uidaho.edu. It is also time to nominate a deserving staff member for the 2016 Outstanding Employee Awards. Nominations are due by Friday March 11. More information can be found at https://www.uidaho.edu/facultystaff/staff-council/staff-awards. We're Hiring! Housing & Residence Life is looking for four great Summer Conference Coordinators. Please share with anyone who is looking for a summer job and may be a good fit for this position. The application will be open until all positions have been filled, with first consideration being March 21. We are also in the process of selecting our newest class of Resident Assistants and Academic Peer Mentors. Interested students have submitted applications and are participating in a class to prepare them for the expectations of being a Residence Life Staff Member.
Welcome to Housing & Residence Life
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Welcome to the team Debbie Aillor, Housing's newest custodial services specialist. Debbie brings years of custodial experience to our team!
Looking Back RHA Yule Ball RHA hosted their second annual dance on Friday Feb. 12. The event took place in the International Ballroom of the Pitman Center. This event was a huge success with over 400 students in attendance. Way to go RHA! Compliance Training and Evaluations Great job team! A majority of our Housing Staff has exceeded deadlines on all Anastacia Richards compliance trainings and annual evaluations. If you have any questions on these please discuss with your supervisor. Meet the Vandals Cara and Courtney traveled to Boise and Coeur d'Alene over the past few weeks to help recruit students and share the benefits of living with Housing at Meet the Vandals events. The two gave presentations, participated in parent panels, and spoke with hundreds of families. Early next month they take off for Meet the Vandals Bellevue to recruit and sell the Housing experience to students and families in the Seattle Area. Energy Conservation Our Projects team is working on an exciting partnership with UIdaho Engineering students. Together they hope to create automatic lights, also known as occupancy sensor lights, to be installed in Wallace Residence Center. These lights would help conserve energy by automatically turning off when a room is empty . The Engineering department is working on a grant for this collaboration.
RHA Members preparing for the 2016 Yule Ball Pg. 3
Humans of Housing
Del Jacobs Del Jacobs, Housing’s Security Systems Manager, is no stranger to the University of Idaho and knows firsthand what Vandal Family truly means.
Last month Del brought in his Grandfather’s UI letter sweater to the Housing Office. His grandfather was pitcher for the Vandal baseball team, an active member of the “I” Club, and a Vandal graduate of 1932. The “I” Club was a service and social organization whose members were selected from UI athletes. The sweater, passed down to Del through his family, has surpassed the test of time. It is in pristine condition considering it's 85+ years old, and carries with it decades of Vandal history. Del has worked at UI for 28 years, and has been with Housing for the past 12. The oldest of his 4 children is a Vandal alum, his daughter graduates from UI this spring, and his youngest, still in high school, has Vandal plans for her future. Thank you Del for your Vandal pride and years of service to this great institution. You define Vandal Family. Go Vandals!
Recruitment & Retention The recruitment and retention season is well underway. Currently we have 486 students renewed to live in the residence halls, working towards our goal of 600 student renewals. Currently 300 new students have applied for 2016-17 Housing, making a total of 786 student who have chosen Housing for next year. We look forward to seeing this number rise. Spring semester is an exciting time with many recruitment opportunities. Mark your calendars for this year's UIdaho Bound, formerly Vandal Friday, taking place on April 1-2, and April 22-23. These campus events for newly admitted students give us the chance to put our best foot forward, offering Open Houses and Tours of the residence halls, interacting with families, and ultimately helping students choose Housing. Students can select their rooms on the spot, if they have not already. April is sure to be a fun and busy time on campus, with thousands of visitors checking out all the benefits Housing offers.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!