JORDAN PATTERSON
Staff Writer
Clubs on campus looking to live together are being welcomed to bunk up on campus.
Residence Life (ResLife) recently started promoting Special Interest Community Housing. Starting on March 1, the Office of ResLife will be accepting housing applications through 5 p.m. on March 25. All groups, clubs and organizations that are recognized by the Student Association will have the opportunity to apply to live in pre-selected suites.
To meet the requirements set by ResLife, interested students will have to have eight people willing to live in the suite. There is no discount for clubs living together. Pricing for rooms will be the same, ranging from $3,800 to $4,000 per semester.
Groups that do decide to apply for housing will be obligated to host a program for the hall that they are living in. With a limited budget, each group will be working with the Hall Council and the Residence Hall Director to plan out each program.
Director of ResLife Kathy Forster’s main focus is to link the recognized clubs interests with the different aspects of ResLife. Instead of having group meetings and interactions off campus, the goal is to have these organizations host events on campus. For ResLife, the hope is that Special Interest Community Housing might create a better link between the theme of each of the clubs with Fredonia.
“I feel like if you live on campus, it’s restrictive,” junior communication disorders and sciences major Patrick Bennett said. “If you wanted to host a mixer or any event to get to know members better, you might not be able to as freely on campus.”
Bennett, who is also involved with Men’s Volleyball Club, Rotaract and the Transfer Student Organization, admitted that there would be a few positives of living on campus.
“The pro of living on campus would be walking to class and not looking for parking,” he said.
Submitting an application does not automatically give groups a spot in a residence hall. Approval of the applications are at the discretion of the Office of ResLife.
“People already do this, such as the hockey house and frisbee house, but off-campus,” said computer science major Jeremy Eckstrom.
“Obviously I understand it’s cheaper to live off campus, but we’re all inclusive,” Forster said.
Living on campus does include wifi, water, electric, heat and laundry all in the same package with no hidden fees. Fredonia hopes to bring more of the clubs that operate off campus onto campus to create a better relationship with them.