Orientation
students to stay in apartments
University hopes students will stay
on campus longer
By Lara Hendrickson
Staff Reporter
Incoming freshmen are no longer Colby-bound.
New
students will now stay in the Tom Brown-Pete Wright
Residential Community during Orientation, Carrie Zimmerman,
director of first year experiences, said Thursday.
Incoming
freshmen used to stay in Colby Hall.
Zimmerman
said the purpose of the move is to encourage students
to stay on campus longer than the required one year.
Not
every college has cool on-campus apartments, Zimmerman
said. Some upperclassmen have never even been
in them. They are this forbidden fortress. But we want
you to stay on campus, so we are showing the freshmen
our best.
Some
students agreed the move could convince incoming students
to live on campus longer, but said it was false advertising.
Obviously,
there is no comparison between Tom Brown-Pete Wright
and Colby, said Cole Bryan, a sophomore political
science major who lives in the on-campus apartments.
So
in a sense it is unfair. But this could also promote
the great living facilities we have right on campus.
Zimmerman
disputed the claim, saying incoming freshmen will never
be told they will live in the on-campus apartments.
Saying
this is unfair advertising is like saying it was unfair
advertising for guys to live in Colby, Zimmerman
said. Unless people stayed in the exact room they
were going to live in, any room could be called that.
Bryan
said he was worried orientation students would not take
care of the rooms.
Everyone
around us has respect for the buildings and they are
much more mature than your average incoming freshman,
Bryan said. I would hate to come back next year
and see my apartment in disrepair.
Zimmerman
said maid services after Orientation will be brought
in to ensure good condition of the apartments.
Not
all students were skeptical of the move.
Tom
Brown-Pete Wright resident Heath Coffman, a junior English
and political science major, said he is not concerned
about damage to his room or giving the freshmen false
hope.
There
isnt enough time spent in the rooms during orientation
to do any damage, Coffman said. Also, it
is not unfair advertising because the freshmen know
their housing is different. I think they would appreciate
the housing upgrade.
Freshman
theater major Kat Thomas said she would have appreciated
the opportunity to stay in the on-campus apartments.
Its
not as if an 18-year-old is going to wreck a (residence
hall), Thomas said. Also, it will be a great
opportunity to meet more people, which is something
every incoming freshmen wants to do.
Zimmerman
said sharing a suite with four or five people rather
than a room with one will increase the likelihood that
students will adapt to living with other people or find
a roommate for the fall.
She
also said the move from Colby will help TCU with booking
summer camps.
The
on-campus apartments are really too nice for little
kids to stay in, Zimmerman said. Colby can
now be used for high school and younger kids.
l.c.hendrickson@tcu.edu
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