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Throughout the past decade, an increasing number of entering students have chosen to reside on campus. In the early 1990s, 50 percent of first-year students expressed the desire to live on campus. Today, 70 percent of the entering class asked to do so. If Manhattan is to continue to recruit the caliber of students qualified to profit from the educational programs we offer, we must provide the additional residence facilities they require. This is true not only for out-of-state students, but also for students from the metropolitan area. The issue is not simply housing. The students seek to participate in and profit from "24/7" campus experience. This involves gradual development through responsible independent living. It allows them to avail themselves more fully of the academic facilities and support services offered on campus. They can more readily choose to be active in the more than 70 clubs and organizations that focus on social, cultural, athletic, educational, religious and service opportunities. Most departments offer co-curriculum venues to broaden their professional interests. Also important is the enriching and broadening experience of living and working in a harmoniously pluralistic environment. It will require approximately $35,000,000 to provide the needed additional residence capacity and related facilities and services for our expanding resident population. |
