Megan K. Scott of the Associated Press wrote an article that was published this week in The Detroit Free Press about how colleges and universities are trying to draw students by pampering them with amenities such as wake-up calls, hot tubs, laundry services, valet parking, and apartment-style housing. While at Northeastern we have some amenities such as apartment-style housing for upperclassmen and honors freshmen and laundry service (through Husky Express), we're far from having snacks always available, valet parking, or hot tubs in the residence halls.
The movement to replace the traditional dormitory with resort-like amenities stems from the demands of millenial students and their parents, who are looking for a bigger bang for their buck. Students today are looking for more in college housing than students twenty years ago. Students, for example want single rooms because they want their own space and more privacy. However, in the article the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire warns that students may miss out on learning communication and negotiaion skills by not sharing space as freshmen. Likewise, a risk of having services available to students for laundry, cleaning, and parking is that students won't learn on their own how to do these things.
We in the Housing Services Committee would like to know how you feel about giving students more amenities in on-campus housing. Post your comments or send us an e-mail.
