Page 10 - KSQ Design Book Student Life

Reflections on Student Housing

Thomas Hier, Biddison Hier, Ltd.

Tom Hier is the founder of Biddison Hier First-Year Focus.
and an award-winning writer, lecturer and The first year experience plays a pivotal role
planner. Tom has worked with some of the in acclimating a student to college. It is
most prestigious colleges and universities especially important to structure the first-year
across the United States. Tom and KSQ experience in the residence halls to create
have worked together for over 20 years strong bonds of friendship with hallmates.
after first collaborating on the Housing This is achieved through both physical and
07 Master Plan for Texas Christian University. programmatic measures. Physically, housing 08
The Biddison Hier-KSQ collaboration was should be developmentally appropriate
formed to support each other’s practice for first year students—typically shared
based on a mutual respect, common bedrooms, bathroom configurations that
approach and desire to bring the highest promote interaction, wide hallways and well-
level of service and creative solutions to our located common spaces to promote informal
college and university clients. gathering, etc. Programmatically, building
community starts with a strong orientation
For traditional age students, a distinguishing process—ideally just before the start of
feature of American higher education is school—with freshmen living together on
the ability to learn in a residentially-based freshman halls, and orientation programs
campus setting. Living on campus gives built around these hall communities.
students an opportunity to create their own
communities and build a support network of Create Centers of Community.
friends, some of whom may become friends As campuses grow and change, opportunities
for life. It is also widely believed that a exist to strengthen existing neighborhoods
significant amount of learning takes place and create “community centers” within
outside the classroom, and a residential each neighborhood that include spaces and
campus provides many venues—in the services that draw students from their halls

halls and around campus—to support this. to these neighborhood centers to build
Below are some reflections on the role of and strengthen community by providing
student housing and residential life and how opportunities for informal socializing,
institutions can maximize the benefits that studying together, participating in campus
students get from living in campus housing. entertainment activities, etc.

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