Page 13 - College Planning & Management, April/May 2019

13
survey respondents.
According to Gatewood, facility design is
responding to concerns surrounding student health; mental, emotional, and physical.
“The mental and emotional health concerns have reached crisis levels on many campuses,” he agrees. “Rates of depres- sion, anxiety, stress, and loneliness are all way up. There are many ideas on why the dramatic increases in incidence. From a design perspective, we are talking about wellness early in the process and looking for ways new facilities can improve the well being of residents. A big part of this is using the architecture and program of spaces to support community building among resi- dents; help create that sense of belonging; help students make friends; and help them find resources to support their personal and academic success.”
Looking further into student experi- ence and expectations, what is the biggest
change housing experts have seen in their residence halls in the last five years?
The biggest concern is also the biggest change, it seems, as the number of students with mental/emotional health issues and accommodation requirements for them is again frequently mentioned here.
“Students are more selective and have more options than before,” one person responds. “Residence halls integrated with other functional services of the university,” says another. Also, the increasing number of requests for private rooms go hand-in-hand with a shift back to fewer amenities for cost- conscious students (and their parents).
Other concerns: “Technology upgrades, WiFi/network expectations, streaming.” “The cost to build.” “Cheaper construc- tion.” “The financial burden of aging buildings.” “First-year students fear of community-style halls.” “Demand for mar- ried housing.” “Lack of resources for capital
planning improvements.”
Campus housing directors are on
the front lines, working out the balance between student/parent wants and needs; residents’ safety and security; budgets; regulations; what can be accomplished realistically and what cannot; and keeping beds filled in existing facilities that are up and running, attractive, and functional. In the face of these ongoing challenges, they’re also keeping an eye on the big-
ger picture. “We respond to the changing needs of the new recruit,” explains one respondent. CPM
CP&M would like to thank all who responded to our 2019 survey. The survey data was col- lected from 201 colleges and universities (169 four-year, 32 two-year; 124 public, 70 private/ nonprofit, seven private/for-profit) represent- ing 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Untitled-51 APRIL/MAY2019/WE1B/1C1/P1M8.C3:O57MPM