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A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME
What happens when you cut the ribbon on a new residence
building housing a population equivalent to a small town? The
University of Regina is about to find out. In just a few months the
first wave of students will begin moving into a new 12-storey, 692bed
residence. The building is easily the tallest on campus, and will
be much more than just a physical presence.
"The number of students living on campus has remained the
same for a long time," observes Hilary Horan, associate vicepresident
of Student Affairs at the U of R. "The rule of thumb
across Canada is to have about 12 per cent of students in
residence. The new building will bring us up to about 10 per cent. I
(Opposite) La
Résidence has been
providing U of R
students with all the
comforts of home since
it opened in 1991.
(Above) With its
impressive views of Wascana Lake and the University campus,
the new 692-bed residence building is expected to be filled in
time for the start of the fall semester in September. The
residence offers students a choice of either apartment-style
(insert) or dormitory-style rooms.
expect we'll see more activity after classes, in the library, recreation
centres and the food courts."
Horan says the new residence will give students more
opportunities to get to meet new people. About 65 per cent of firstyear
students coming to the U of R live within an hour drive of the
city, and their circle of family and friends consists mostly of
Saskatchewan people. For those newcomers, living on campus
opens new doors.
"The number of international students has grown significantly in
the past five years," says Horan, "so there are more opportunities,
in residence and in the classroom, to share different cultural
perspectives with people from other parts of the world."
Horan also anticipates that the new residence will help students
make the transition from high school to university. About twothirds
of new students coming to the U of R are the first in their
family to attend university. While their parents are supportive,
Horan explains, the community created in residence can provide
peer support for learners in a very new environment.
"For these students, being away from home is a totally different
way of living," he says. "More experienced students in residence
can help them adjust, and that contributes to their academic
success."
The new building offers 166 apartments with one to four
bedrooms, and 132 dormitory-style rooms, which include a meal
plan. Every unit has telephone, cable TV and high-speed Internet
access. The new residence allows the flexibility to move toward
what residences manager Judy Amundson calls a theme-based
approach. "Students will find groupings, such as a quiet lifestyle
floor, an international floor, or a health and wellness floor, which
would be of particular interest to students in Kinesiology and
Health Studies."
The new residence is expected to be filled by the beginning of
the fall semester.
LUTHER COLLEGE
"We were all from smaller places around Saskatchewan," recalls
former Luther College resident Mike Fedyk, "so it was like a small
town, except everybody was the same age." Fedyk, who now
manages marketing and communications for Partners in Planning,
lived in Luther College from 1980 to 1985, while he earned degrees
in history and education.
It's no accident that the college has a small-town feel. It was
founded as Luther Academy in Melville in 1913, to prepare
students for a university education in teaching and the ministry. In
1926 it relocated to the outskirts of Regina, where Luther College
High School stands today. Luther College on the University of
Regina campus opened in 1971. As a federated college at the U of
R, it offers a small school atmosphere, while providing access to all
the resources of the University.
"I loved having people around all the time," says Fedyk. It
appears he was in the right place, as he eventually became
president of the Luther University Students' Association.
Part of what gives Luther College its distinctive social
atmosphere, Fedyk believes, is the college cafeteria, where all
residents gather for
meals. In addition, while
most other residences
offer apartments, Luther
provides private,
furnished rooms for its
219 residents, with
shared washroom and
shower facilities. (Each
room is now equipped
with a high-speed
Internet connection, a
"must have" feature for
today's students.)
Another major
difference is the way the
Since its opening in 1971, Luther College
has been both a place to learn and a place
to live.
space is organized. Rooms on each floor are organized into "quads"
around a central lounge. In his day, says Fedyk, some of the men's
quads – located on the first two floors – were like little fraternity
houses.
"My quad, first south, once declared itself an independent
nation," Fedyk remembers. "We appointed a Queen, a Queen
Mother and a Leader of the Opposition for life. Another time we
parodied the Oscars by staging "sleaze" awards. We even held a
Spring 2004 THE THIRD DEGREE 7