MONDAY, AUGUST '13, 2007 | BACK TO SCHOOL | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN '15
》 HOUSING
Q & A with housing director
Card readers are being installed
BY JOE CAPONIO
jcaponio@kansan.com
On May 27, the University named Diana Robertson as the new director of the Department of Student Housing. Robertson had been interim director since February 2006, and she now takes over the University's housing facilities, in which 5,200 students reside.
The Kansan caught up with Robertson after her first month on the job.
Kansan: What first attracted you to come work at KU?
Kansan: Does anything change in terms of your work now that you've had the interim tag removed from your title?
Robertson: I was looking for an opportunity to advance in my field and felt like KU had an outstanding housing program that I would like to be a part of.
Robertson: My responsibilities have been broadened and it gives me an opportunity to guide the future direction of the department and to facilitate the type of student housing operation that we want to offer KU students.
Kansan: Do you expect to be'at KU for the long haul?
Robertson: I do. This is a career goal of mine to become a director of student housing, so I hope to stick around for a very long time.
Kansan: What are some of the challenges of working at such a large university?
Robertson: We have so many different students with so many different kinds of needs so we work to try and meet those various needs, whether it's students with families, graduate students or international students.
Kansan: What are some things you are looking to improve upon in the housing department?
Robertson: We're focusing on being real planful with our facilities, our renovations and our educational efforts for students.
Kansan: What is your general long-term goal for the housing
department?
Robertson: My goal is to make sure that we're providing comfortable, safe and convenient living spaces for students where they can feel like they belong and can call home. This facilitates them to focus on their academic and educational interests at the University.
Kansan: What changes can students expect to see when they return to the residence halls in August?
Robertson: The one thing that students might see is that we're making some changes to the security features in the halls. We're working toward the installation of card readers on the exterior doors of the buildings that returning students would definitely notice.
Kansan: What is your favorite thing about working at KU?
Robertson: I love working with the students and helping them achieve their goals. I love the people that I work with. We have an incredible staff, not just in the department, but around campus and I really enjoy those interactions.
》 HOUSING
Options for living on campus vary University has more than 15 residence, scholarship halls
BY ASHLEE KIELER
akieler@kansan.com
The University of Kansas offers
est residence hall, has three wings on each floor.
The Universit new students a wealth of options when it comes to housing.
Ellsworth, Lewis, Templin and most recently Hashinger, residence halls have been renovated and remodeled.
Each residence hall is split into two co-ed wings, men on one side and women on the other. The wings are connected by a shared living space. McCollum, the larg-
Hashinger is known as the "artsy" residence hall. Residents
ment. Students won't always get their first option but sometimes that isn't a bad thing.
Student must fill out a housing application in which they can pick their first choice for a housing placeparticipate in "Spring Arts Week" and put on two theatrical plays, one each in the spring and fall.
Students hoping to live in a residence hall can choose from McCollum, Ellsworth, Hashinger, Lewis, Templin or Oliver. GSP-Corbin is an option only for women. The University also offers scholarship halls for students wanting to live in a more tightknit community
Students hoping to live in a residence hall can choose from McCollum, Ellsworth, Hashinger, Lewis, Templin or Oliver.
Ellsworth,
Lewis,
Templin,
Ellsworth and
McColum are
located on Daisy Hill. These residence halls share a common dining facility, Mrs. E's. Residents in these halls can also visit The Studio
in Hashinger Hall for pizza, sandwiches and coffee.
Oliver Hall, located a short walk from Allen Fieldhouse, has its own dining facility.
Scholarship Halls offer students a lower
ing or cooking each week.
The University offers eleven scholarship halls: Battenfeld, Dennis E. Reiger, Douthart, Grace Pearson, K.K. Amini, Margaret Amiini, Miller, Pearson, Sellards, Stephenson and Watkins halls.
Students hoping to live in a "Schol Hall" are judged based on their academic achievements, community service and financial needs.
Each scholarship hall is either male or female: There are no co-ed scholarship halls
Tobias said living in the scholarship hall was like having another family.
Britta Tobias, Osage City sophomore, lives in Dennis E. Rieger Hall.
"It's small enough you can develop friendships with everyone in the house that will last forever."
living cost in the form of a scholarship. Students in the "Schol Halls" share duties around the hall, cleanabout housing visit the Housing Departments Web site at www. housingku.edu.
BRITTA TOBIAS Osage City sophomore
"It's small enough you can develop friendships with everyone in the house that will last forever," Tobias said.
To fill out a housing application or learn more
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