Sing Tao School of Journalism
“Room for rent — 204 square feet. Comes complete with desk, bed, roommate
and 1,148 neighbours. Shared bathroom with 30 other people. No pets, hanging
pictures or painting walls. Potted plants welcome. Meals included. Total cost,
$612 per month.”
Even IKEA would have a hard time making this living space feel like home.
So why is it that each year UBC’s residence complexes enjoy full capacity?
There must be something drawing the students other than the opportunity to eat
cafeteria food three times a day.
Janice Robinson, assistant director, Residence Life, believes that living
in residence is one of the most effective ways to deal with the loneliness and
adjustment period many first-year students undergo.
“Big research-focused universities, including UBC, just don’t feel like warm
and welcoming places for many new students. It’s pretty easy to feel like a
number rather than a known, accepted and valued member of the community,” she
says.
“The secret to feeling like you belong at a big place (like UBC) is to find
a smaller place, a smaller group of people, a smaller community within this
larger community — and begin to meet others, one at a time,” she says.
Scott Zuyderduyn, a resident of Place Vanier, spent his first year of university
at Malaspina University College before making the move to UBC. He sees residence
life as a chance to become directly involved with the campus through volunteer
organizations, intramural sports and other activities.
Being surrounded 24 hours a day by people who have similar hopes and dreams
is an amazing support system, he says.
“I’ve endured the bare university experience of just taking the courses, and
believe me, living on the campus in residence enhances the university experience
so much more.”
Of course, conflicts can arise from such close living quarters. Homesickness,
roommate clashes, lack of privacy and finding the discipline to study in between
social events are all problems first-year students will encounter.
Resident advisers are an important support system. Their objective is to help
create a safe and secure living and learning environment.
In addition to organizing fun programs such as quiz nights, ski weekends and
mocktail nights, all advisers are trained to deal with issues such as grief
and depression, racism or sexism, conflict mediation and eating disorders.
Training workshops can range from how to help students deal with being gay
on campus to love and relationships in general.
Barb Tucker, an English Literature graduate now studying for her degree in
Education, has lived on campus for the duration of her studies and has been
a resident adviser for the last three years.
She is familiar with the problems students might face during their first year
away from home and as an adviser she is there to help students adjust to their
new life.
Her advice, “Get involved. That’s where you’ll find your friends. I remember
watching movies where people talked about their old college buddies. Some of
my best friends now are the ones I made in my first year of university. It’s
kind of cheezy, but true.”
In a recent speech to the Association of College and University Housing Officers,
UBC President Martha Piper related her story of a 35-year-old friendship begun
in her first year of residence in 1963.
“While we have never lived in the same city or state or province, we have
remained in close contact over the years — Christmas letters and family photos,
postcards from exotic holiday spots, telephone calls in the middle of the night,
and e-mail messages with tips on everything from recipes to book reviews…
A shared dormitory room has led to a shared life. Not bad for a two-star bed
and breakfast, with the bathroom down the hall.”
