Marguerite Hall and Griesedieck Complex residents will have to abide by a new set of stricter polices then the rest of the dorms next fall.
The Department of Housing and Residence Life has established a set of policies geared toward incoming freshmen and those upperclassmen who have chosen to remain in these dorms will be required to follow the policies, as well.
The changes in these polices are one part of the larger, overall program geared toward first-year students at Saint Louis University. “The need for a first-year program is based on creating a supportive environment that will help enable a successful transition from high school to college,” said Argyle Wade, director of Housing and Residence Life.
With the changes in the new policy, the buildings will be alcohol-free. Students also will not be allowed to have alcohol container collections. Wade stated that the change in this policy “clearly establishes an alcohol-free environment for students regardless of their age.”
According to Wade, the visitation policy also changed for Marguerite Hall and Griesedieck Complex. From Sunday to Thursday, students of the opposite sex will be allowed on the floors between the hours of 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. From Friday to Saturday, students of the opposite sex will be allowed on the floors between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. In addition, the floors will be separated by gender.
Senior Jeff Abernathy, the Resident Advisor of Micah House, feels that the structure of the Micah House program will be affected due to the changes, causing the positive experience to dwindle. While many upperclassmen chose to stay on the floor in previous years to serve as mentors, few are staying this year due to the changes.
Currently, students take classes together, partake in service projects, attend a weekly reflection and prayer night. According to Abernathy these events will still occur, but will not have the same effect. Many nights the students in the program will stay up late getting help or just talking about issues.
Residence Life has decided to keep Micah House and Classic Living in the Griesedieck Complex. The women will reside on the fourth floors of Walsh and of Griesedieck, while the men will be on the fourth floor of Clemens.
Wade said that upperclassmen who have elected to stay in these buildings will be asked to participate in a student mentoring program. There will also be an increase in the student staff to achieve a student-to-staff ratio of 30:1.
Current freshmen were able to request any housing area on campus excluding the apartments for next year. However, Wade thinks that given the change of policies, many upperclassmen will choose to move, thus leaving available spots in Marguerite Hall and Griesedieck Complex.
Residence Life is currently working with the College of Public Service to provide a course entitled Student Success: University 101 (Freshmen Orientation). The course will pilot a limit of 300 students with about 25 to 30 students per section. Faulty members in Student Development or Academic Services Divisions will teach the course.
Community 101 will continue to take place next year, as well. Several of the Community 101 programs will be offered to first-year students during Welcome Week.
Currently the department is working to integrate the Community 101 program into the first-year success courses as well as provide it for students who are not involved in the course.
The department will continue working with the Student Government Association on future plans for a full implementation of freshmen centers for Marguerite Hall and Griesedieck Complex for the 2003-2004 school year.
Senior Week
Seniors: The countdown to graduation has begun. Senior Week is approaching fast, and with the week comes the concern of where seniors will be living during that week.
Seniors currently living in the Village, Marchetti Towers or Grand Forest will be allowed to stay in their residence. All other residents will be relocated to Marchetti Towers. Students should plan on checking into the apartments on May 11.
Seniors being relocated need to plan on packing their belongings completely, as they will not be allowed to return to their room. But those students will be allowed to leave their belongings in their current room and only take those items that are needed for the week. Students are encouraged to take their valuables with them as Residence Life will not be able to monitor their room’s on a constant basis.
Students will not be able to host guests due to the limited number of on-campus staff. Family members should stay at a local hotel or the University’s Water Tower Inn. Students found in violation of this policy will be subject to removal of housing at their expense.
Applications for Senior Week are available in the Department of Housing and Residence Life office. Applications are also being mailed out individually to seniors who have been accepted for graduation. Any student who is participating in the May 2002 Commencement Exercise may participate in Senior Week. All students wanting housing during Senior Week need to return the application and contract.
Students’ assignments will be confirmed via the e-mail address they write on the application. The department will make every effort to match students with their requested roommates. Additionally, every effort will be made to refrain from assigning summer school residents in the same apartment.
Summer Housing
Students staying on campus this summer will call Marchetti West their home for those few months.
Any students enrolled in SLU classes and/or holding an internship that directly relates to their academic experience will be allowed to reside in on-campus housing during the summer. The dates for moving in and out of summer housing correspond to the summer sessions.
Prices for housing range from $117 to $191 a week depending on the type of apartment assignment. All current policies set forth by the Department of Housing and Residence Life will be enforced during the summer.
