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CAMPUS
DAISY HILL TRANSFORMATION
New residence halls will feature single-, two- and four-person suites with private bathrooms
The new residence halls on Daisy Hill are scheduled to be opened in fall 2015. The groundbreaking ceremony is March 5.
COURTESY OF TREANOR ARCHITECTS
ic March 5
ASHLEY BOOKER news@kansan.com
When the doors to the new residence halls on Daisy Hill open in fall 2015, students will have amenities previous generations would be envious of: single-occupancy suites that include two private bedrooms on either side of a shared bathroom.
These are among the many design features that the building architects are creating in response to focus groups and 510 student surveys gathered in February and March 2012. One overriding message that came through was that students want their own private areas but they also want places where they can interact with others.
"I think the residence hall of the '60s was more about function, a bed to sleep in, large common areas to gather in for social functions," said Diana Robertson, director of student housing. "Learning was more an independent function. Today's students look for greater privacy in their living space and they expect to find community spaces where they can study, alone or in groups."
Preliminary construction on the new residence halls will begin March 5 at a 3:30 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony open to the public at the Lied Center Pavilion, with a reception to follow. The $47.8 million complex will replace McCollum Hall with two five-story, 350-bed, freshmen-focused residence halls combined with a two-story commons building, a grassy quad and a new entrance to Daisy Hill. McCollum itself
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will be demolished once the complex is built and the space will be used for a parking lot.
As they step inside the commons building from the quad, students will see a fireplace, grand piano and lounging area. To the right there will be an open kitchen and, further back, a gaming area.
Upstairs in the commons, there will be a number of study rooms with whiteboards on the walls, a digital-production room and a classroom with SMART Board technology. The amount of space devoted to academics will be 5,000 square feet, according to the Student Housing website.
Students will be allowed into the residence halls after swiping their KU ID cards, as they do now. Each residence hall will have two- and four-person suites, with single-occupancy suites. By comparison, McCollum, which was built in 1965, has only two-person suites.
The single-occupancy suites will be the first of their kind at the University. The suite includes two bedrooms, one on each side of a shared bathroom.
When Alexander Lawson, a freshman from Lawrence, was told about the single occupancy rooms, he thought privacy was something many students would enjoy.
I would like living in the single-occupancy suites," Lawson said. "They offer the shared environment that helps to create a relationship with your roommate, but gives you privacy when you need to study or sleep."
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COURTESY OF TREANOR ARCHITECTS
The proposed room plans feature two- and four-person rooms with access to private bathrooms.
It was announced last month that parking on Daisy Hill will become limited as 334 spots will be blocked off during the construction of new residence halls. Reporter Kayla Soper spoke with Donna Hultine, KU Parking and Transit director, about why this caught everyone by surprise.
DAISY HILL PARKING
Why was this problem not thought about before the permits were bought?
Initially, it was believed that parking lot preemptions wouldn't have to happen until after commencement, but due to the short construction timeline, it was necessary to allow the contractor into the lots earlier.
Will next semester students also be affected?
Students with DF permits will be allowed to park in section E of the Lied Center lot and in the Park & Ride lot. DF permits are not valid in other sections of the Lied Center parking lot. Overnight parking will be allowed only in section E of the Lied Center parking lot.
During construction, there will be fewer DF designated parking spaces. The construction plans call for some temporary gravel parking areas around the Templin parking lot and in Section E of the Lied Center parking lot. Next fall, we'll accommodate as many permit requests as we have spaces available.
There are two new residence halls and a lawn area being built in this location so these lots will not return once construction is completed.
Will the students affected be able to park at the Lied Center, or do they have to purchase a park and ride pass?
Information courtesy of KU Parking and Transit director Donna Hultine, written by Kayla Soper
Rights, off-campus law discussed at meeting
STUDENT SENATE
LGBTQ COORDINATOR
AMELIA ARVESEN news@kansan.com
Student Senate will have the opportunity to fund a fulltime LGBTQ coordinator for the Student Involvement Leadership Center next week in a funding meeting, said Tyler Childress in the Wednesday weekly meeting.
The coordinator position would allow LGBTQ students the opportunity to learn more about different identities and orientations in a judgment-free zone.
"I think this is an important position to have so that
He said the University lags behind in comparison to other big universities by having a state that isn't entirely supportive, as evidenced by the controversial House Bill 2453.
A new initiative to install lockable cellular charging
they can get those questions answered that maybe, if they're from a conservative family, that they can't necessarily get answered," said Childress, who identifies as gay.
CHARGING STATIONS
Executive members will vote for this funding in next week's block fee meeting.
The lockers would be smaller than those in the recreation center but could be accessed by a similar self-set code with chargers for a variety of devices inside.
Access to rape crisis lines, as well as cellular applications like SafeTrek, are the reasoning behind this addition.
stations in downtown bars was introduced by Emma Halling, student body vice president.
"You can give people as many apps as you want, but if their phone is dead, it doesn't matter," said Halling.
She said she hopes to coordinate with at least five popular bars, but the
collaboration is still in a developmental stage.
A meeting for student senators to review of the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities by the Rights Committee was announced.
Revisions made by Jane Tuttle and Nick Kehrwald of Student Affairs would allow the University to punish students for off-campus activities, such as an arrest during spring break in a different state.
OFF-CAMPUS INFRINGEMENTS
Students could be tried by the University to assess the situation, and while employers wouldn't have access to the
Prior to the changes, the University was one of the only schools in which students' activities off campus did not affect their school records. Until now, there have been only minor edits made to the code since the 1970s.
"It's the chancellor with the final say but we have the opportunity to give suggestions," said Kevin Hundelt, vice chair of student rights committee.
CLASSIFIEDS 11 CRYPTOQUIPS 5 SPORTS 12
CROSSWORD 5 OPINION 4 SUDOKU 5
The committee will meet this weekend to discuss the change.
record, other universities would.
— Edited by Alec Weaver
Don't Forget
Upcoming forum to discuss edit to Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities
Developing initiative to install lockable charging stations in downtown bars
Student Senate meeting recap
Opportunity to hire an LGBTQ coordinator for SILC
Study Abroad application deadline is Saturday.
Today's Weather
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