Talking Stick - July/August 2017 - 29

creating a Welcoming
Environment
Any successful residence hall building
project must have a contextual relationship with the campus and make
students feel welcome. Study spaces,
recreational spaces, technology and
media lounges, cafés, and outdoor
student quad green spaces are critical
components in developing a rewarding campus life experience. Features
like these enhance student-to-student
social interaction, allowing for a diverse
student body and helping to broaden
horizons.
Student housing is no different.
Strategic housing projects should
address engagement challenges by
introducing spaces that enrich student
experiences. Student housing must be
considered a safe space for all students,
embracing all cultural and social differences. Housing facilities and buildings
can incorporate spaces for advising,
programmed events (indoor and outdoor), group study, gender inclusivity,
collaboration, wellness, and dining.
Starin Hall at the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater was designed to
encourage students to live, work, and
study together in a universally designed
LEED Gold facility. The 446-bed, fivestory, suite-style residence hall offers a
high level of accessibility for students
with disabilities, double that required
by the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), and provides an opportunity for
health- or mobility-challenged students
to live together, a first on their campus.
The suites also include two accessible
bathrooms sized to support care providers, and suites on the upper floors
include conduits for future power-assist
door hardware.
Facilities like Starin Hall provide increased awareness of and commitment
to sustainability and physical diversity within student populations. Frank
Bartlett, director of university housing,
notes that the Starin community main-

tains the highest GPA on campus, and
community growth and involvement is
as strong today as when it opened nearly
seven years ago. "We are proud of our
ability to serve all of our students in this
facility in the fashion that our students
helped to design - inclusive, sustainable,
and welcoming," says Bartlett.

The Influence and
Impact of Technology
and Makerspaces
Campus science and technology environments, whether for undergraduate
instruction or scholarly research, fuel
innovation and are at the heart of creating value in the knowledge economy.
These environments don't need to be
limited to labs or lecture halls - learning can happen anywhere (especially
with Wi-Fi and portable devices). It's
important for colleges and universities
to address this reality head on with any
new or renovated residence hall project.
Offering cutting-edge technology solutions allows students to share information, access programming and maintenance support, and collaborate with
others anytime, anywhere. Technology,
however, needs to be aligned with an
institution's mission and programs.
For example, colleges and universities
seeking to foster a maker culture need
to have 3-D printers, pin-up walls, collaboration space, and other tools that
help bring ideas to life.
Lassonde Studios at the University
of Utah in Salt Lake City is an example
of completely rethinking the model of
traditional housing to focus on fostering campus engagement and interaction through entrepreneurship. This
student housing facility combines 400
student residence beds with 20,000
square feet of "garage" space. The
housing component allows students
from every academic level and discipline to live together on themed floors
with four different room types: from
traditional double rooms for first years

STRATegiC hOUSing
PROjeCTS ShOUlD
ADDReSS engAgeMenT
ChAllengeS by
inTRODUCing SPACeS
ThAT enRiCh STUDenT
exPeRienCeS. STUDenT
hOUSing MUST be
COnSiDeReD A SAfe
SPACe fOR All STUDenTS,
eMbRACing All CUlTURAl
AnD SOCiAl DiffeRenCeS.

PHOtO COuRtesy OF uniVeRsity OF
WisCOnsin-WHiteWateR

PHOtO COuRtesy OF uniVeRsity OF utaH

Welcoming environments include ample
kitchen space and spaces equipped to support
technology needs.

July + august 2017

Talking Stick - July/August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2017