Norwich housing mixes lifestyles in dorms

The higher retention rate of upperclassmen and the increased size of incoming freshmen classes have caused an overflow of students, according to Col. Richard Van Arnam, commandant for the corps of cadets.

Cadets are now being housed in civilian dorms, including Flint, the White House, the Green House and even two classrooms in Plumley.

"It's not so much a change as it is a continued trend," said Van Arnam.

The increased demand for Norwich has lead to large incoming classes over the past few years, he said.

Furthermore, the retention rate for returning students has improved, said Karen McGrath, vice president of enrollment and communications.

"Norwich has a defined number of available beds," McGrath said, "We looked at all different available places on campus."

The university has used all of the space available to house students for the 2011-12 school year. The study lounges in South Hall were included among the list of available spaces, according to McGrath.

These study lounges are considered "swing rooms," for transition or temporary housing at times of peak housing demand, McGrath said. Such lounges were built with the ability to accommodate students, containing all of the fixtures that a normal room would have, according to Dave Magida, the chief administrative officer.

"The building was designed with the flexibility that if we had to put students in those lounges we could do it," he said.

 According to Magida, each lounge was designed to house a certain number of students comfortably. This year, these lounges house less than the maximum amount.

Even with cadets living in South, the building was designed so that it would still be a comfortable living environment, Magida said.

"Now, is it going to be tighter when you have more students? Of course, of course it will be, but it still can handle it," Magida said.

The cadets in South are a mixture of sophomores to seniors, but no rooks. Who would be housed in the lounges in South was "based on when students completed the required paperwork," said Iphagainia Tanguay, director of residence life.

The few cadets in South Hall are no different than the rest of the corps and have no additional privileges, Van Noordt said.

This is not the first time that cadets and civilians have been housed in the same dorms, McGrath said.

"At one point Crawford Hall was a split building between corps and civilian, (and) prior to South Hall opening a couple of years ago there were civilian residence halls right on the Upper Parade Ground," she said.

While some students don't like this arrangement, McGrath said, "I personally believe that our students have a mutual respect for each other."

Student leaders on both sides have met to discuss the situation and to lay down expectations of the cadets for the new academic year, said Tanguay.

Cadets living in South Hall could help bridge the gap between lifestyles, said some students. "It could be a start," said Ryan Van Noordt, 20, a senior political science major from Lynchburg, Va.

It could also bring "increased levels of respect, increased levels of understand," Van Arnam said. "There is an opportunity to heighten the awareness of one another."

"I think it's just a sample of what you're going to see in the real world, and creating this learning opportunity is what separates Norwich from any other place," Van Arnam said.

Having a mix of lifestyles can also add to the learning experience at Norwich. "Usually I'm just focused on the military mindset, I guess, and they bring the other side to the table," Van Noordt said.

Because students leave school or move off-campus, housing spaces free up during the year and students are moved into other housing.

Academic housing spaces, such as Plumley, are among the first spaces to be emptied, because they aren't ideal living spaces, McGrath said.

Administrators can't predict when students will be moved. Even though there is a plan to get all of the cadets back up on the Upper Parade Ground, the cadets of South are last on the list and may be in South Hall for the entire year, Van Noordt said.

"I would guess that we're going to be full for a while," Van Arnam said.

 There is a plan for the future. The barracks on the UP are being "rehabilitated," Magida said.

And for civilians, "The plans call that we're going to build the complex up here (near South) with 750 beds," Magida said.

"Our long-term plan, which is the new 2019 plan, calls for two more phases (dorms) to be built up there," he said. The three dorms will total 750 beds.