Stevens is a relatively small school in a relatively dense and expensive town, so student housing has always been a key concern for those unable to commute to campus. With rising class sizes, rampant construction, the recent demolition/remodeling of residence halls, and changes in the Stevens leased housing options, the housing options at Stevens are in a more dynamic state than ever before.
The most impactful change was also the most obvious to returning students: the demolition of Hayden Hall. For those unaware, Hayden was one of the major first-year dormitories, located between Davis Hall and the Howe Center. It was torn down this summer as part of the University Towers project, and its absence accounts for half of the large, red-fenced construction zone on upper campus (the other half used to be Jacobus Hall, the former student center). When asked about how the on-campus options have changed since its deconstruction, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sara Klein said, “After Hayden Hall was demolished, we needed additional on campus housing for first-year students. Therefore, first-year students are now living in about 30% of Palmer Hall and about 65% of River Terrace. Last year, these buildings housed returning students almost exclusively.”
As Klein mentioned, large amounts of first-year students are now being housed in River Terrace and Palmer for the first time. For River Terrace, the rooms had to be changed slightly in order to house first years. Specifically, first year rooms had their ovens gutted and their counters extended, and their microwaves replaced. The rooms meant for Resident Assistants kept their ovens to help facilitate floor events, as River terrace does not have communal kitchens like the other first year dormitories. This also limited the amount of space available for upperclassmen as a whole, making the other upperclassmen options in special interest, fraternity, sorority, and Stevens Leased housing more important.
Stevens Leased Housing is the program which lets students rent apartments in participating buildings through Residential and Dining Services, rather than having to find them on their own. The list of apartment complexes also changed recently; as Klein said, “The only change in Stevens Leased Housing from the 2018-2019 academic year is that we no longer offer apartments in 1700 Park or the Harlow. All of our other SLH options remain the same.”
Altogether, these changes have reduced the percentage of the student body that Stevens can house. “This semester, 49% of the undergraduate student population live in Stevens housing, and last year, 58% of undergraduates lived in Stevens housing,” Klein said. However, no further changes are projected between now and the completion of the University Towers Project, as Klein confirmed: “don’t anticipate much change in our Stevens housing numbers between now and when the new residence halls open. Of course, once the new residence halls open, we should see a significant increase in the percentage of students we can house at Stevens.”
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