Sophomores returning to Saint Louis University’s campus this fall will be greeted with MORE: a program designed to increase the retention rate between the second and third years by maintaining sophomore students’ connection to campus and providing them with scholarly, spiritual, extracurricular and career opportunities.
“The acronym,” which is taken from the term “sophomore,” “refers to not just the sophomore year, but also the overall goal of the program: to give second-year students more to think about and more resources to support them,” said Deanna Kauffman, associate director for housing and residence life.
Sophomores can also expect more from their residence halls, as the program includes $800,000 in renovations to SLU’s three sophomore dorms: Marguerite Hall, DeMattias Hall and Fusz Hall.
All of the program’s activities—which include a sophomore Encounter retreat coordinated by Campus Ministry, a leadership retreat organized by Student Life and various career and test-preparation opportunities offered by Career Services—are extended to sophomores who commute to campus. However, in its first year, MORE will be targeted at sophomores living on-campus, Kauffman said.
The residence hall renovations “are part of an overall program that encourages students to remain in campus housing where, research shows, they have a tendency to be more successful academically and socially,” said Paul Seidl, area coordinator for housing operations.
The additions include a workout facility in each dorm, and new kitchenettes and lounges on each floor, according to Seidl. Existing kitchenettes and lounges will be renovated, as well as other common spaces, including the multipurpose room in DeMattias, a lounge in the basement of Fusz Hall and the coffee house in Marguerite, Seidl said.
These amenities will “provide some of the things our students have told us they want in their residential communities,” Kauffman said. “These additions help those buildings stand out as something different from our freshman buildings, and give students additional community space.”
The renovations will be completed by the end of October, with the exception of the workout room in Fusz, which may not be completed until the end of the fall semester, Seidl said.
Junior Maria Rozier said that changes in the housing sign-up process that allow students to sign up in groups, allowing them to live with freshman-year floormates, will also have a positive impact on the communities in those dorms.
Without the bustle of first-year programs and activities, and apart from the community one grew accustomed to, sophomores can feel like they “don’t really have a place” when they return to campus, said Rozier, one of several students who has been involved in MORE planning sessions since they began in spring 2004. And, because many second-year students haven’t yet gotten the chance to establish themselves as campus leaders, “sophomores are just kind of stuck,” she said.
Kauffman and Donald Stump, Ph.D., an English professor and director of the Micah House program, co-chaired a task force convened by University Provost Joseph Weixlmann that focused on the sophomore year experience at SLU and drew up the new programs being implemented this year.
Stump said that he and Kauffman suggested that the University sponsor a Welcome Home Week to connect students with opportunities during their first week back on campus, as is done for freshmen. The Academic Welcome Home, taking place after the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Tues., August 30, is part of this new programming. It will give students a chance to meet faculty within their realm of study, as well as students who share their major, and related student groups.
The MORE program also includes activities and initiatives that will be available to sophomores beyond the first week of classes.
Career Services will send career counselors into the sophomore residence halls during the year to conduct group discussions in a low-key, informal setting. Career Services will also connect students with career opportunities in a “wide variety of industries in the St. Louis area,” through unpaid internships, job shadowing and interviews, said Kimberly Reitter, director of career services.
In addition to the free GRE practice test that is offered each year, Kaplan will also offer several free GRE tutorials through Career Services. All of these offerings will help sophomores think ahead, while they’re getting a feel for their career direction, Reitter said.
Other activities offered as part of the MORE program are a sophomore Encounter retreat coordinated by Campus Ministry, a Leadership Retreat coordinated by the Office of Student Life and free fitness classes at the Simon Recreation Center, offered by Campus Recreation, Kauffman said.
Residence life will advertise the program’s events during move-in. During the year, sophomores will be apprised of MORE activities through e-mail and notifications from their resident advisors, Kauffman said.
