North Village Applications Show Enthusiasm For Campus Living
It's still under construction, but the new North Village Residential Community is already proving to be a hit with students, who hope to be among those living at the new complex next fall.
During the application period from Oct. 1-31, Campus Living and Learning received applications and deposits from 763 students, which is more than the number of slots open. Approximately 530 spaces are available, with the remaining 70 slots reserved for incoming students who will be admitted into the new Engineering and Computer Science Living-Learning Center (ECS-LLC).
"We've always anticipated that the North Village would be successful," said Dr. Frank Shushok, associate dean for Campus Living and Learning. "Nevertheless, to have 250 more deposits and applications than we have spaces is rather extraordinary, especially nine months prior to opening the doors."
Scheduled to open in fall 2004, the North Village addresses the second imperative of Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year vision - "to create a truly residential campus." Baylor's goal is to have at least 50 percent of undergraduates living on campus by 2012.
Students have already experienced the "look and feel" of the North Village new concept by visiting a replica of a suite set up in Alexander Drawing Room. The suite will be open for viewing for students, parents and alumni Friday afternoon and evening and Saturday morning during Homecoming weekend.
A hybrid of the nine available North Village suites, the mock-suite features a single room, double room, living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. As they visited the suite, students experienced every detail of a completed room, down to the carpet, windows and blinds.
"When they walked into the mock-up, it was like they were walking into their own apartment," said sophomore Jamie Gianoutsos, who worked on North Village's marketing effort. "In all the other residence halls on campus you can get a feel for it before you move in. Now students can do the same with the North Village."
From the initial planning stages, students told Shushok and other campus life staff members that they would stay on campus if Campus Living and Learning would listen carefully to their needs.
"We've involved them in every step of the North Village project, and the resounding and enthusiastic response is compelling confirmation that given the right living environment, many students won't pass up the opportunity to live where they learn," Shushok said. "They know that the Baylor experiences changes once their residence moves across the highway."
The North Village Residential Community, Baylor's first residential complex to be built in nearly 40 years, features three residential buildings and a community center. Students will have access to a state-of-the-art classroom, café, convenience store and study areas. Aimed at providing upper division students with additional amenities, North Village offers residents perks like free cable television, Internet access and laundry facilities.
The North Village is under construction between the new Dutton Avenue Office and Parking Facility and the Rogers Engineering and Computer Science Building. Two more residential villages are planned for Baylor during the next 10 years.
"We all know the energy students bring, and Baylor will be become a qualitatively different place with the addition of every new residential project on campus," Shushok said. "When I talk with older alumni who experienced Baylor at a time when most people lived on campus for multiple years, I sense a loyalty and passion about this place that is unmistakable. I can't help but think their extended presence on campus had something to do with that enthusiasm, and I expect Baylor's renewed emphasis on creating a residential experience will deepen the strong feelings that current students already feel about Baylor."
Students who have applied to live in the North Village will receive lottery numbers online beginning Nov. 17 and suite selections start on Dec. 1. Those not placed during the North Village lottery process will be positioned at the top of the waiting list. Additional information about the North Village assignment process is available at www.baylor.edu/cll.
Reapplication for other campus residence halls will begin in January, as will admission to the new Honors College Living-Learning Center in Alexander and Memorial Halls.