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APARTMENT GUIDE / MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
1, 2, 3, and 4 Bedrooms Available
3BR Special: $810/month ($270 per Person)
3801 Clinton Pkwy 785-841-7849 LorimarTownhomes.com
Stonecrest Village Square Hanover Place
APARTMENTS
Scholarship Halls have a lot to offer
Close-knit groups, activities and home-cooked meals
BY MOLLY MARTIN mmartin@kansan.com
People, involvement and food.
Matthew Shepard, a junior from Norton, those are the three best things about living in a scholarship hall and in that order.
The people are at the top of Shepard's list because of the sense of community that scholarship-hall living encourages. Although almost 30,000 students attend the University of Kansas, only about 50 people live in each of the 12 scholarship halls, six of which are for women and six for men.
The close-knit atmosphere influenced Sadie Johnson, a sophomore from Osage, to live in a scholarship hall instead of the dorms her freshman year.
"It was a really easy decision," Johnson said.
When deciding where to go to college, Kara Walker, a sophomore from Manhattan, said part of the reason she chose the University is because it provides scholarship halls for
its students. She likes this living style because it's not as large as a dorm, making her feel more at home.
SADIE JOHNSON Osage sophomore
"Schol halls are not just full of nerdy people!"
"For me, the scholarship halls are exactly what I want," Walker said.
Johnson said inter-hall activities are competitive and many students participate.
Walker agrees with Shepard about the advantages for involvement at the scholarship halls. From fundraisers to formals, she said social activities are fun things that students living in apartments wouldn't be able to experience.
Involvement through leadership roles is also especially important for Shepard, who serves as president of the All Scholarship Hall Council. Other leadership opportunities, like executive board in each hall, are also available.
Friends and activities aside, Shepard and Abby Asamoah, a sophomore from Ghana.
"It's good clean fun," Johnson said.
KARA WALKER
Manhattan Sophomore
"For me, the scholarship halls are exactly what I want."
said the food is another great advantage to living in the scholarship halls.
The scholarship halls have eating and cooking advantages, like ice cream, fresh fruit and 24/7 access to the pantry, in comparison to other living arrangements, said Asamoah. The halls also provide home-cooked meals for lunch and dinner.
In order to enjoy the privileges of living in the scholarship halls, however, students must take on certain responsibilities that aren't required when living in a dorm. In addition to maintaining a 2.5 GPA, each student must contribute to the cooking and cleaning of his or her hall. Walker, who lives in the Margaret Amini hall, said each student in her hall must
complete one shift of cooking a semester.
"It's cool to come up with your own recipes," Walker said. "It's fun to use exciting recipes and put your own personal flair into it."
Although scholarship-hall students have extra responsibilities, Walker said she doesn't see any cons to living this way. Shepard and Asamoah both
said one of the only downsides was sharing a room with someone, knowing that if they lived in an apartment they could have their own bedrooms. Regardless, Shepard said the pros of living in the halls greatly outweigh the cons.
Walker said that people who are interested in the scholarship halls are welcome to visit; she said the students living there are more than happy to give visitors tours and answer questions.
Although Johnson said most scholarship hall students are academically talented and involved, she wanted to clear a misconception associated
with scholarship hall residents
"Schol halls are not just full of nerdy people!" Johnson said.
Edited by Sarah Bluvas