Talking Stick - July/August 2013 - 11

In the
next
Talking
STick
Coming in the
Sept. + Oct. issue:
· Navigating
politics, building
connections,
and mastering
the soft sciences
· Tips for running
productive focus
groups
· Deferred
maintenance
and capital
improvements

James Madison University Offers
3D Tour of Residence Halls
A new app for iPhones, called JMU Res Life, allows students to take a virtual tour of
their soon-to-be homes. However, the app is more than just a panoramic picture as
many virtual tours are. Students can select the hall they wish to view at James Madison
University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and then are free to “walk around” a virtual
version of their room. The app also shows a traditional overhead room layout map,
a map of campus showing where the hall is, information about the hall, and a list
of furniture included. There’s even a link to the residence life website for frequently
asked questions and more.
Josh Smead, a recent alumnus of the university who graduated with a degree in art
history, designed the app after teaching himself to code. Previously, he had designed
a virtual tour app of a new museum space on campus while still an undergraduate.
Within the first 30 days of JMU Res Life’s release on April 10, over 1,000 people have
downloaded it. Since then, the app has also been released for iPad and Android, with
the number of downloads continuing to grow. While the app is fully operational now,
Smead says he would eventually like to expand the detail of the environments.
—Brent Hankins

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I am trying to collect information from institutions
regarding housing for younger first-year students.
Do you house anyone who is an entering
freshman and is 16 years old? If yes, what if any
additional paperwork do you request from the
student/family? Does it matter if they are an
international student? Are there any issues that
you have had to deal with? Any other advice?
Thanks a bunch!
Kimberly A. Watson
Director of Residential Life at Maryville University

At Stony Brook (NY), we do not house students who will not turn 18 within
their first two semesters of enrollment. A rare exception (via formal appeal)
would be the 16-year-old who has family or a legal guardian in immediate
proximity to the campus who provide a notarized document (vetted
by University Counsel) stating that they give consent for their underage
child to reside on campus and accepting the responsibility for providing
supervision/close guidance for these students while they live within the
residence halls. In any year this typically amounts to 1-2 students, if any.
Alan S. deVries
Associate Director of Residential Programs for Administration and Service
and Director of Conference Housing Stony Brook University
July + August 2013

11
Talking Stick - July/August 2013

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