Construction of a bridge connecting the Elder and Hinman-Lincoln residential halls was approved last week by Evanston’s Site Plan and Appearance Review Committee and Alderman Judy Fiske.
The multi-million dollar project, spanning 5,000 sq ft, will begin construction this quarter. The bridge will combine the two dorms to create the first “residential community” on campus.
“The residential community will take the very best of the residential colleges and expand it more broadly to the student population,” said William Banis, the vice president of Student Affairs.
According to Banis, the community will include live-in faculty, elevators, seminar rooms, practice rooms, kitchens, mailrooms, a deck and several offices near the first floor of Elder to enable different offices to come in and operate on a daily basis. In addition, the connector will be accessible to all floors and also include the community service officer to enhance security.
A 1.5 year-long comprehensive study about student needs and institutional priorities determined the need for a residential community. The residential community differs from a residential college because it caters to people across various colleges and majors. While residential colleges are thematic, residential communities are not.
“The community will provide opportunities for students and faculty to engage themselves outside of the classroom by interacting with other students and faculties across majors and across schools. It will enhance learning, but not necessarily replicate what’s going on in the classroom,” said Banis.
Despite previously expressed safety concerns about the project, Fiske expressed her support in an emailed message.
“I do not have any concerns about the ‘bridge,’” she wrote. “It is attractive and will provide a useful function to connect the two dormitory buildings.”
Unlike Fiske, students are not so sure. Weinberg freshman Anna Krist doubts the effectiveness of creating such a community.
“I don’t know if physically combining a community will help it become a community,” she said. “Just because you have a lot of people in a dorm doesn’t make it more likely for them to become friends or even interact.”
However, other students are optimistic about the project.
“It’s cool. It makes sense to integrate people – this build will fuel interaction,” said McCormick freshman Neil Kansara.
Banis hopes that after the completion of the Elder Residential Community, the concept will expand to South campus in 2011.