With the expansion of Elon University's campus underway, there has been a massive push by the administration to have upperclassmen more connected to Elon’s campus. One of the major ways to accomplish this is to have more upperclassmen living on campus in the housing provided by the university.
MarQuita Barker, senior associate director of Residence Life, said one of the priorities for this initiative is simply convenience.
“As a residence life practitioner, and in general, we know that students who live on campus are closer to their classes and resources,” Barker said.
While proximity between classes and the community is the predominant reason for Elon wanting upperclassmen to live on campus, Barker said this is also a way for juniors and seniors to be engaged with the university and not isolate themselves.
“We want [upperclassmen] to be engaged on campus," Barker said. "We don’t want them to come to campus, take classes and go home. We definitely want them to stay on campus and be involved in the life of the university."
Park Place, the newest residential hall on campus, is one of the first steps into making this idea a reality. But much of the remaining buildings and designs are still in the developmental and planning process.
“We’ve had a residential campus plan for at least five years; our goal is to have 75% of students to live on campus,” Barker said.
Barker said her staff will be talking with upperclassmen students and organizations such as SGA to hear their input and ideas. While it's the university's goal to have more upperclassmen lodging on campus, Residence Life does not intend to remove their privilege of living elsewhere.
“We want to build enough housing so that students who want to live on campus can live on campus, so if you’re a senior and you want to live [off campus] we’re certainly not telling seniors they have to live on campus,” Barker said.