Res Life replaces community halls with "Block Housing"
Blocks will be overseen by the Hall Managers for the halls in which they reside, won't be required to program
Madeline Lobosco
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: News
For the past five years, Trinity has offered the opportunity for upper-class students with a common interest to live together on a community hall, but this Community Initiatives Program will no longer be offered beginning fall 2010. Instead, Residential Life has created a new opportunity for students to live together, known as Block Housing.
"We have chosen to disband the entire program, with the exception of Swashbucklers, because we think that we need an upper-class option for substance-free living for students who would prefer that setting," said Melissa Pinchback, assistant director for Residential Education.
Pinchback said that Block Housing will be similar to the Community Initiatives Program, but unlike the past program, Block Housing will not require students to put on programming, have liaisons or complete the intensive application process.
"With Block Housing, students won't be required to do all that, but they will still get to live together as a large group of friends that signed up together ahead of time," Pinchback said.
In order to qualify for the new Block Housing system, students must have at least three full suites and all additional suites must be complete suites as well; there will be no partial suites in a block. Similar to any housing placement process, numbers will have to be evaluated to ensure that students can be appropriately accommodated.
Pinchback said that Res Life decided to make the shift in the program after evaluating the current Community Initiatives Program and the goals behind it. She said that in the past few years, there had not been decline in student interest in the program but there had not been an increase either. Though the communities have been strong the past few years, the lack of growth left Res Life wondering if there was a better way to increase the sense of community in the upper-class area, and they decided to shift to the Block Housing system.
Senior Carolyn Grant, a liaison for Trinity House of Liberal Politics (THOLP), said that she has seen her community hall provide that "family" environment where everyone feels comfortable. Though the hall will not be able to continue under the Community Initiatives Program, it will be able to pursue the Block Housing option, a system Grant says she sees potential in.
"We have chosen to disband the entire program, with the exception of Swashbucklers, because we think that we need an upper-class option for substance-free living for students who would prefer that setting," said Melissa Pinchback, assistant director for Residential Education.
Pinchback said that Block Housing will be similar to the Community Initiatives Program, but unlike the past program, Block Housing will not require students to put on programming, have liaisons or complete the intensive application process.
"With Block Housing, students won't be required to do all that, but they will still get to live together as a large group of friends that signed up together ahead of time," Pinchback said.
In order to qualify for the new Block Housing system, students must have at least three full suites and all additional suites must be complete suites as well; there will be no partial suites in a block. Similar to any housing placement process, numbers will have to be evaluated to ensure that students can be appropriately accommodated.
Pinchback said that Res Life decided to make the shift in the program after evaluating the current Community Initiatives Program and the goals behind it. She said that in the past few years, there had not been decline in student interest in the program but there had not been an increase either. Though the communities have been strong the past few years, the lack of growth left Res Life wondering if there was a better way to increase the sense of community in the upper-class area, and they decided to shift to the Block Housing system.
Senior Carolyn Grant, a liaison for Trinity House of Liberal Politics (THOLP), said that she has seen her community hall provide that "family" environment where everyone feels comfortable. Though the hall will not be able to continue under the Community Initiatives Program, it will be able to pursue the Block Housing option, a system Grant says she sees potential in.
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