Gustavus University's residence halls went through a green renovation this summer. The Gustavian Week provides some of the details.

The summer construction projects, especially the stone infill on the Complex windows, were of a large enough scale to require a general contractor. Gustavus brought in Gosewisch Construction to aid campus employees with the summer projects. The addition of a contractor allowed the projects to be completed in the limited time span of the summer, and also allowed some of the Gustavus work force to engage in projects in academic buildings as well as residence hall renovations.

“We have the ability to change things pretty quickly and easily,” Strey said. “My hope is that students like the renovations that they see happening and the upgrading of the facilities. It’s all part of the college’s long range plan that is important for the college to stay up to date.”

SCUP's webcast later this week, Sustainable Residence Hall Renovation: Teach Your Old Dog New Tricks, is a must-see if you are interested in this topic and wish to begin planning for renovations next year. It is co-produced by ACUHO-I.

The University of Illinois takes another step forward in its already highly-thought of effort to be accessible to differently-abled students. It's new dorm is state-of-the-art for limited mobility students, who live on the first floor of this new dorm, with 150 other students above them; some of them who will act as PAs (personal assistant) for the students on the first floor. So, this is far more than innovative interior design, it's an integrative program that addresses facilities, student life, and learning.

It helped that she moved into the university's first new residence hall in 44 years and the most user-friendly dorm in the country for students with severe physical disabilities. As Rozema wheeled into her single room for the first time Tuesday, a disability advocate showed off the features: a wireless pager that will call for help 24 hours a day and a remote-controlled ceiling lift system to transport her from her bed to the in-room bathroom.

They will live on the first floor, with about 150 other students on the floors above them, a number that will expand to 500 when the dorm is completed in two years. The building is connected to a new dining hall, convenience store and meeting spaces.

Down the hall from Rozema, Ben Fultz, 21, a transfer student with cerebral palsy, also moved in Tuesday. His mother, Ellen, was overwhelmed by the features, remarking how even the window blinds can be closed with a button. "It is truly better than what we have at home," she said.

The sinks, thermostats and light switches are at an accessible height. Dorm room doors open by waving a wireless card. Faucets are sensor-activated. And the roll-in showers come with chairs.

But most unique are the personal assistants, known as PAs, who live in the building to help students shower, use the bathroom and hook backpacks on their wheelchairs before leaving for class. Most are U. of I. students. After the Rozemas accidentally hit the pager while putting away books Tuesday, a PA arrived in under two minutes. "Did you buzz?" she asked.

Through the program, residents learn how to hire, schedule and manage their PAs. In a newsletter last year about the life-changing program, one resident observed that students could have conversations like, "Which PA wipes the best after you use the bathroom?"

 

You may or may not have access, depending upon your own or your employer's subscription to this and other journals. Here is the abstract:Today's community colleges are experiencing tremendous growth at a time when higher education is experiencing little success in the fierce battle for public funding. Administrators believe that providing housing on college campuses increases enrollment and improves access, but they are having difficulty meeting students' demands for both quantity and quality of student housing. Community college leaders are challenged to find alternative ways to achieve new housing on their campuses. With resources already stretched, institutions sometimes struggle to find funding sources for these projects due to their impact on institutional debt service. Many colleges are turning to private foundations and corporations for their financing, construction, and management needs. This practice has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. To date, there have been over 214 privatized, nonrecourse-financed student housing projects on college and university campuses in the United States, with at least 11 occurring on community college campuses. Due to increasing demand, privatization of student housing is likely to increase. Very little literature exists addressing the evolution, problems, and potential of this practice, but administrators may need to have an understanding of the process as it becomes more commonplace on community college campuses. Interviews with community college administrators, student housing administrators, and representatives of private development and management corporations and a literature review were conducted. The results are synthesized into a history and overview of outsourcing student housing construction and management in the United States, including problems with outsourcing, strategies to avoid failure, future possibilities, and recommendations for future research.