On-campus housing construction projects are not only changing
the physical appearance of the Hill, but may alter its population
composition and affect the social atmosphere in the new
buildings.
Existing residential suite complexes, which include Sunset
Village and De Neve Plaza, are sometimes criticized by students as
being more antisocial than the high-rises because of less foot
traffic in the hallways as a result of having shared or private
bathrooms instead of community facilities.
The three new residence halls on the Hill ““ Hedrick
Summit, Rieber Terrace and Rieber Vista ““ will have similar
floorplans, with shared bathroom suites and groupings of five
single rooms with a shared bathroom.
Criticism aside, many residents say they like the quieter and
more private atmosphere of the residential plazas. Anthony Nguyen,
a third-year biochemistry student who is opting to return to De
Neve Plaza in the fall, says suite residents don’t have to
miss out on college social life as long as they put effort into
making friends.
“The high-rises have a greater potential to be more
social, but it’s what you make of it,” Nguyen said.
“If you want (suites) to be social, you have to take the
initiative to go and meet people.”
Previous on-campus housing surveys indicate that students seek
more privacy in the dorms, especially upper-division students, said
Jack Gibbons, associate director of the Office of Residential
Life.
The new housing options targeted at upper-division students are
being introduced as on-campus housing moves toward its goal of
offering all entering freshman four years of guaranteed housing and
two years for all transfer students.
The 2005-2006 academic year is the first in UCLA history in
which transfer students will be able to return to on-campus housing
for a second year of residence.
The expected demographic change in the on-campus housing
population and the influx of older students will likely change the
social atmosphere on the Hill, Gibbons said.
ORL is differentiating its room placements significantly more
than in the past for the 2005-2006 academic year, taking additional
measures to concentrate first-years and upper-division students
with others similar to their own year, Gibbons said.
Construction on the Hill doesn’t just change the social
atmosphere of on-campus housing ““ students must also deal
with construction noise beginning at 7 a.m. as well as the other
inconveniences that come along with it.
“UCLA’s constantly under construction,” said
Mai Vo, a third-year sociology and political science student.
“It’s annoying waking up in the morning to
jackhammers.”
Among the inconveniences that residents must deal with are
increased noise and dust, relocations of housing services and
access difficulties, as construction necessities constantly close
or reroute walkways.
To compensate on-campus residents for the inconvenience, ORL
sets aside funds for construction mitigation, which can be applied
to programming for special events and activities for affected
residents, new equipment such as computers or facilities
improvements.
The completion of the new residence halls won’t be the end
of construction on the Hill ““ it will simply signify
construction progressing to a new phase.
The upcoming academic year will see the completion of
first-floor renovations of existing high-rise residence halls and
the openings of Hedrick Summit and Rieber Terrace in the fall.
Rieber Vista is scheduled for completion in winter 2006.
Housing has also begun plans for major renovations of the four
old high-rise residence halls ““ Dykstra, Rieber, Sproul and
Hedrick. While details of the renovations have not been finalized,
the upgrades will likely include dorm rooms, bathrooms, study
lounges and hallways.