Residence Life updates
March 22, 2019
Residence Life has made a number of changes to its programs and facilities aimed at
improving the student experience and gaining administrative efficiencies.
Consolidation: Beginning fall 2019, five facilities will not be used by Residence Life for student
housing: Lathrop Hall, Nerland Hall, the Sustainable Village, Copper Lane homes and
Stevens Hall. The consolidation will help reduce operations and maintenance costs.
Modernization: Many residence halls are being refreshed with things like new flooring or furniture.
Beginning this fall, the minimum credit and GPA requirement will be lifted for all
halls. RL is improving its processes to better personalize living options, including
expanding gender-inclusive room options from Cutler to include Wickersham Hall and revamping
a gender-diversity living-learning community for Bartlett and Moore halls. Other living-learning
communities, or LLCs, include include Outdoor Adventures (Skarland Hall), Engineering
(Skarland Hall), and Honors (Skarland Hall).
Rates: After reviewing housing rates for other institutions as well as comparable Fairbanks-area
facilities, RL decided to increase rates while aligning them more consistently within
the department. Residents were notified of the changes in January. A variety of factors
were considered, including room type and size, renovations. and amenities.
The department will also implement a $25 campus programming fee for fall 2019. The
fee will fund the community councils and Residence Hall Association. Both organizations
are student-led leadership groups that work to improve the student experience through
programming, policy changes, community and campus involvement, hands-on leadership
experiences, and resident advocacy.
Live-on requirement: Also new this year is the requirement for first-year students to live on campus. The
requirement, a widely used practice by many universities, increases student success
and retention rates through focused programs and mentoring. First-year undergraduate
students who are enrolled in 9 credits or more, under the age of 21, and not planning
to live locally with parent(s) or a legal guardian will be required to live in a UAF
residence hall for one academic year. Incoming spring 2020 transfer students who are
still in their first matriculated year will also be required to live in a university
residence hall and carry a traditional meal plan for the spring semester. All undergraduate
international students in their first year of study in the United States are required
to live on campus their first year as well.
Requests for exemption will be considered on their own merit, taking into account
individual circumstances. Approved exemptions can be found on the EDGE program webpage.
If you have questions or concerns, call 474-7247 to speak to any resident director. RL welcomes constructive feedback related to university housing, and relies on the insights
and observations of university colleagues who work with students to help Residence
Life improve the residential experience on the Fairbanks campus.