96-09-16 Residence Halls offer Amenities

LOCATION, COST AND AMENITIES ATTRACT STUDENTS TO LIVE ON CAMPUS

     COLUMBUS -- From Internet access and flexible meal plans to 
cable TV service and telephone call waiting, residence life at 
The Ohio State University offers many amenities for students who 
choose to live on campus.

     At a cost of $945 to $1,950 per quarter, some 8,000 
undergraduate students reside on campus.  Of these, 74 percent 
are freshmen, 18 percent sophomores, 5 percent juniors, and 3 
percent seniors.

     "We are seeing a trend in recent years of more students who 
chose to live on campus, with fewer students requesting single 
sex housing," said Toni Greenslade, manager of contracts and 
assignments administration in the Office of Housing, Food Service 
and Event Centers.  "We have more upperclass students this year, 
in part because we are offering more amenities for the students, 
and are making the residence halls feel more like home.  This 
helps students feel more connected to the university and each 
other."

     Each student room offers cable television service, a 
telephone with call waiting, and a MicroFridge.  The MicroFridge 
combines a microwave, refrigerator and freezer in one compact 
appliance.

     Every student has an e-mail address and access to several 
computer lab centers on campus that are equipped with connections 
to the university's computer network and the Internet.  Several 
of the residence halls have ResNet, which allow a resident to 
connect to university computing resources from their rooms for a 
monthly fee.

     Some 200 Resident Advisers live in the residence halls and 
provide programming, trouble shooting and resource referrals.  
The resident advisers are sophomore level or above and receive 
free room and board and a monthly stipend.

     "It is a nice environment, with a close walk to the main 
campus.  You get to know people closely and it makes you feel as 
though you are living as part of a community," said Laura 
Hutchison, a senior from Logan majoring in psychology.  
Hutchison, a resident adviser in Morrill Tower, has lived in the 
residence halls for four years.

     Several living programs are offered for students with 
special interests, such as the African-American Living Center, 
which offers historical, political and cultural experiences of 
the African-American culture; the Study Intensive program, which 
offers all-day and all-night quiet time, with no recreational 
activity in the hallways or public areas; and the smoke-free 
program which offers a smokeless living environment. For freshmen 
students, the First Year Experience program offers advising, 
tutoring, programming and staffing support specific to first-year 
needs to enhance academic and personal development.

     The average age of students who live on campus is 18 to 19 
years old. Of the 25 residence halls, five offer academic year 
housing continually from September to June, for those residents 
who are international students, students from other states, or 
students who prefer to stay on campus during quarter breaks.

     Several job opportunities are available to students in the 
residence halls, including office assistants, night assistants, 
food service workers and resident advisers.

     Students are offered a variety of meal plans and menus, 
including the Sprouts Cafe, which serves vegetarian meals during 
lunch and dinner in Kennedy Commons.  The Buck I D, a university 
identification and purchasing card, provides access to dining 
common meals and computer labs.  It can also be used to purchase 
food, books, supplies, gifts or services at locations on and off 
campus.  Funds can be deposited into the accounts at various 
locations on campus.

                             #

Contact: Toni Greenslade, manager of contracts and assignments 
administration, (614) 292-8266.


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Mon, 16 Sep 1996 12:47:45 -0400]
All documents are the responsibility of their originator.