Board Approves Feasibility Study for Limited Residential Housing
Psychology
Professor Examines New Treatment for Chronic Anxiety
Campus
Reponds to Bioterrorism Alerts
Board
Approves Feasibility Study for Limited Residential Housing
Employees
Honored for Years of Service
Forum
for the 21st Century: Corporate Giving for the Arts
UMass
Journal Examines Commonwealth’s Economy and Poverty
Women
Make a Difference: The Mass Action for Women Audit Unveiled
1,200
Listeners Worldwide Support UMass Boston Radio
Looney
Receives Public Service Award
Avery
Faigenbaum Helps Kids Have Fun with Fitness
Best
Practices: Academic Support for Student Athletes
PeopleSoft
Prepares the University for Change
Michael
Chesson Examines the Civil War in Exile In Richmond
Snow
Policy 2001-2002By Anne-Marie Kent
Despite offering over 100 degree and certificate programs, opportunities for study at the undergraduate and graduate level, excellent faculty, and a diverse range of student activities, UMass Boston remains the only four-year, public institution in Massachusetts that does not provide on-campus housing. As a result, UMass Boston students face the continuing difficulty of finding and paying for nearby housing.
If all goes well with a plan to add a limited number of on-campus housing units, students may soon have the option of living on campus.
On November 7, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees approved the development of a residence hall planning study that will help the university move forward with its intention to build a limited number of residential units on campus. The feasibility study will determine what the design of the units should be, where they should be built, and how much they will cost.
“In my mind, this is a way of expanding the services
that we provide for those students who want a more traditional college
experience,” says Chancellor Jo Ann Gora. “By offering this
additional service, we would not be changing our mission but further developing
it.” Noting that the 2,000 planned residence units represent only
a small fraction of the university’s 13,000 enrolled students, she
adds, “It is not a change in the culture of the institution or the
character of the institution.”
Issued last year, the university’s Student Housing Task Force Report
indicated that there is great enthusiasm across the campus for the construction
of limited residential housing. The study also claimed that the addition
of dorms would provide better campus atmosphere and cohesion, attract
graduate and undergraduate students who view student housing as a priority,
improve retention of students who wish to live in student housing, and
strengthen loyalty among alumni.
Pleased with the board’s support, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance David MacKenzie says, “We are currently evaluating 19 responses from design firms for a programming and feasibility study for these residence halls. We are also establishing two committees to review this phase of the dormitory project, one including community groups and another including members of our internal constituencies, such as faculty, students, and staff on campus.”
To address community concerns, the university has established a community liaison group, whose invited members include representatives from the neighborhoods, alumni, faculty, business partners, abutters, law enforcement, building trades, and an area high school. The purpose for convening this group is to establish an open dialogue, share and gather information, and address people’s concerns.
According to current data, university students already constitute a strong presence in the surrounding communities. At last count, 4,500 UMass Boston students live in Boston, and of that number, 1,700 live in Dorchester and South Boston. University officials expect that the addition of student housing will alleviate some of the pressure on local housing markets.
The construction of the units would be financed through revenue bonds, which are obtained or issued by the UMass Building Authority. The students who occupy the units would pay the debt service. If all goes according to plan, groundbreaking for the first phase of units, approximately 700, would take place in the fall of 2002. Occupancy could take place the following year.
MacKenzie adds, “We have received tremendous support from the President’s Office and the UMass Building Authority, and I am looking forward to the day in 2003 when we open the doors for students to live here on the harbor. It will be the start of a wonderful new era for this campus.”