Residential buildings on campus went through a extreme makeovers to accommodate all current and incoming students for the fall semester. For nine months out of the year students call Cabrini home and housing placements can make or break a college experience especially for students on campus. Especially first-year students students who experience the most changes as new members to the Cabrini community with their first semester of living on a college campus. Some of them being away from home for the first time and living with unfamiliar roommates. But the change has been something that the students have been flexible with and open to new experiences within their hall communities.
“As the class size grew we were challenged to find space, however, I would not call this a difficulty. Our goal was to place the students who wanted housing and for the most part this was accomplished” Susan Kramer the Director of Residence Life at Cabrini said.
Unlike first year students upper class men confirmed their room assignments in the lottery process in the spring. Even though the housing was confirmed before the end of the semester room assignments changed as the incoming class increased. Some students were moved out of rooms in East Residence to make space for incoming first year students. Majority of the students moved without any complaint but others weren’t enthusiastic about the changes.
” Over the summer we had some people who were upset about being moved from East Residence to the houses and from East Residence to Xavier, ” said Kramer. Since the start of this semester all issues have been resolved and students are placed in their permanent housing.
Sophomore, sociology major Jordan Floyd is currently staying in East for the second year. Despite the stressful start to the year Jordan is excited to be back in the hall that she lived in her first year at Cabrini.
“The year so far has been stressful, we kicked off syllabus week and I have been in the library ever since,” said Floyd. ” I lived in East last year but there is a difference because there are more sophomores than freshman unlike last year. It is a more mature crowd, where I can sit in my room or lounge and do homework without students running around screaming “thirsty thursday”.
The campus transformation started in the basement rooms of Woodcrest a first year housing building next to the Holy Spirit library. The rooms were previously used for the CSI on campus who handles on campus cleaning. The space now accommodates nine male students like first-year Huego Ballon who is a member of the cross country team on campus. Ballon lives on the first level of Woodcrest which is also the “show room” used for potential students on admission campus tours.
“I love my hall and all of my friend that I have made there,” said Ballon.
First students have made a small community in Woodcrest and have more opened rooms that allow for comfortable living environments. “Some of these places were rooms in the past, it was just changing them back to their previous function. It’s typical across college campuses,” said Kramer. The majority of students weren’t affected by the change of room designs and have moved into their rooms with ease,” Kramer said.
For anyone who isn’t necessarily excited about their current housing arrangement don’t get discouraged. The best way to get pass the uncomfortable reality of your housing situation is getting involved with the campus community and expanding your friendships within your living environment.
“Getting involved and being active in the community inside and outside the residence halls is how students make their on campus experience enjoyable,” said Kramer. “Taking risks and meeting new people and trying all the activities offered and learning new things.”
If you are able to focus your attention on the community within the housing instead of the facilities you are housed in you may make lifetime relationships that will surpass your years at Cabrini.
