Student Seclusion
Before the information superhighway, schools were built around massive libraries, like the 400-year-old Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, above, in Britain. Early dorms were imposing, monastic structures meant to separate students from the outside world, providing more privacy for classes and introspection. This concept of the Ivory Tower lasted for decades. "If you look at the dorms of the Harvard Yard, the windows and doors are all on the yard side," says Jonathan Zimmerman, director of the New York University's History of Education Program. "Basically, what you see from the outside is a wall."
Bed-In
As student activism spread across campuses in the late 1960s, female students began protesting gender segregation — not only in the dorms, but at schools in general. Women at Barnard College in Manhattan, the sister school to Columbia University, staged several protests called "bed-ins" to demand equal access to education. (Despite the protests, Columbia continued to deny female students until 1983.)
While state and federal funding dwindles and demand for college degrees continues to rise, tuition rates have soared — as has the need for better amenities to justify the higher expense. From 1995 to 2004, just 17% of the 113 residence halls constructed on college campuses were traditional dorms, according to the Association of College and University Housing Officers International; the vast majority were apartment-style suites. This fireplace, at the newly opened Vista del Campo Norte dormitory at the University of California at Irvine, was built by American Campus Communities, one of the nation's largest student-housing developers
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An Uphill Battle
Tanning salons, pool waterfalls, Mongolian grills, and hot tubs large enough for 15 people are some of the amenities offered at colleges across the country — like Boston University's new 35-foot climbing wall. Sandy Baum, a senior analyst for the College Board, says students are driving the trend: "It's not so much colleges wanting to be country clubs, it's students who want to live in country clubs." At this summer's conference for the Association of College & University Housing Officers, administrators swapped stories about the more outlandish requests they've received. (One tale involved a freshman who wanted to know about housing accommodations for his butler, who had accompanied him to the dorms).
Luxury Learning
Though La Vista del Campo Norte seems at first glance more like a hotel than a dorm, Bill Bayless, CEO of American Campus Communities, says these buildings aren't just real estate opportunities: "Our properties are not Animal House. There are no kegs out by the pool." Nowadays, students demand privacy, technology and the same amenities they grew up with, he says. "It's what the student expects when they leave Mom and Dad's."
Though La Vista del Campo Norte seems at first glance more like a hotel than a dorm, Bill Bayless, CEO of American Campus Communities, says these buildings aren't just real estate opportunities: "Our properties are not Animal House. There are no kegs out by the pool." Nowadays, students demand privacy, technology and the same amenities they grew up with, he says. "It's what the student expects when they leave Mom and Dad's."
Big Business
American Campus Communities surveys students each year to find out what they like. Since 1996, ACC has developed more than $1.5 billion in properties for university clients, and has acquired in excess of $2 billion in student-housing assets. Some critics argue such grand accommodations distract students from college's real purpose. "The undergraduate university experience should be about getting kids to answer the basic question, 'What is a life worth living?'" argues Jonathan Zimmerman, director of New York University's History of Education Program. "By making all these lovely things for the kids, we're answering that question for them."
American Campus Communities surveys students each year to find out what they like. Since 1996, ACC has developed more than $1.5 billion in properties for university clients, and has acquired in excess of $2 billion in student-housing assets. Some critics argue such grand accommodations distract students from college's real purpose. "The undergraduate university experience should be about getting kids to answer the basic question, 'What is a life worth living?'" argues Jonathan Zimmerman, director of New York University's History of Education Program. "By making all these lovely things for the kids, we're answering that question for them."
Rec at Rockoff
Rutgers University's $55 million Rockoff Dorm features a Coldstone Creamery, a 7/11 and a state-of-the-art gym; residents also enjoy grocery delivery, room cleaning and laundry services. One hitch: Rockoff is only open to juniors and seniors. "If you have all the things you need in your own unit, you never go outside," says Joan Carbone, Executive Director of Residence Life at Rutgers, who believes traditional dorms offer the best environment for freshmen interaction. And while some schools use high-end housing to draw prospective freshmen, Carbone says Rutger's academic record is appealing enough: "We don't have to go into the arms race to attract students."
Rutgers University's $55 million Rockoff Dorm features a Coldstone Creamery, a 7/11 and a state-of-the-art gym; residents also enjoy grocery delivery, room cleaning and laundry services. One hitch: Rockoff is only open to juniors and seniors. "If you have all the things you need in your own unit, you never go outside," says Joan Carbone, Executive Director of Residence Life at Rutgers, who believes traditional dorms offer the best environment for freshmen interaction. And while some schools use high-end housing to draw prospective freshmen, Carbone says Rutger's academic record is appealing enough: "We don't have to go into the arms race to attract students."
Bucking the Trend
Not everyone agrees with the luxury-dorm fad. At Berea College in Kentucky, school administrators have adopted a unique approach to the problem of strangled budgets and coddled kids: Dorms are furnished by the college crafts workshops, cafeteria food is provided by the school's farm, and students are required to work 10 hours a week in various campus jobs. "It's about identity and the culture you want to develop," says Gus Gerassimides, the college's assistant vice president for student life. "Ultimately every community has choices to make. It's who you choose to be."
Not everyone agrees with the luxury-dorm fad. At Berea College in Kentucky, school administrators have adopted a unique approach to the problem of strangled budgets and coddled kids: Dorms are furnished by the college crafts workshops, cafeteria food is provided by the school's farm, and students are required to work 10 hours a week in various campus jobs. "It's about identity and the culture you want to develop," says Gus Gerassimides, the college's assistant vice president for student life. "Ultimately every community has choices to make. It's who you choose to be."
Time.com, Aug 2011
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