IU adapts to demand for apartments, suites

After one year of communal bathrooms, cold showers and flip-flops, junior Tonya Vachirasomboon decided it was time to move out of Eigenmann Hall -- what she called the "noisy, dirty" dorm in the midst of renovation -- and into the apartment lifestyle offered at Willkie Quad.\nAcross the nation, universities are succumbing to student demands for more spacious dorms, according to the Associated Press. Willkie marks the beginning of the housing revolution on IU's campus. \nAnd though the University hasn't finalized any plans yet, IU is working on blueprints for a new residence hall full of apartment-style housing, said Pat Connor, the executive director of Residential Programs and Services.\nResearch shows a high level of student interest for on-campus, apartment-style dorms, Connor said. And he expects student demand to continue with the completion of the new dorm.\nConnor said while he can't link the trend for apartment-style dorms to any particular cause, he has a few explanations. \n"Most students entering college today have always had their own bedroom and possibly their own bathroom in their parents' home," he said. \nConnor said IU needs to improve housing accommodations to attract and retain students. \n"We need to have quality choices for students from their first year through their senior year and beyond on this campus," he said.\nThe convenience of a more private environment dictated Vachirasomboon's decision.\n"It's newer; it's cleaner," she said. "It has air conditioning, big windows… more space."\nVachirasomboon shares a full bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet and sink with only one other student. \nOn a typical residence hall floor, roughly 50 students share one or two community bathrooms, Connor said. The community bathroom usually has three to four shower stalls, three to four bathroom stalls and four to five sinks. \nNow, Vachirasomboon never has to carry a shower caddy. Her Willkie bathroom has space for shampoo and soap.\nVachirasomboon noticed that a lot of upperclassmen use Willkie as a backup plan in case their apartment arrangements fall through.\nRoughly 1,000 students apply to Willkie each year for the 760 available spots, Willkie Residence Manager Steve Akers said. \nBut according to IU rules, students must be 19 years or older to live in Willkie. The dorm doesn't have resident assistants or mandatory meal plans, explained Akers. Students over 21 can also drink in Willkie, he said.\n"Basically, we're considered an apartment, not a traditional dorm," Akers said.\nHe attributes Willkie-style dorms to an increasing student demand. \nA few years ago, students showed a desire to stray from traditional dining toward food court style meals, and universities complied. Akers said the housing situation is a similar attempt to meet student demands. \n"We have a lot of students who stay here one, two or three years," he said.\nWillkie caters to students who don't want that "freshman" experience every year. \nFor Vachirasomboon, one year was more than enough. She said she would never live in any other dorm on campus. \n"I'm spoiled," she said with a laugh.\nCollege students today want more privacy, Akers said. And dorms are willing to meet student demands, even if takes millions of dollars.\nThe new dorm at IU would cost roughly $42 to 45 million, Connor said. But according to the Associated Press, the cost of construction for universities has risen by roughly $68 per square foot within the last decade.\nThe blueprints and proposed sites for the new dorm will be presented to the board of trustees by the end of this semester. The site and completion date are yet to be determined.\n-- Contact assistant opinion editor Asma Khalid at amkhalid@indiana.edu.