Redwood goes co-ed for 2017-18

MVNU’s male-only residence hall, Redwood, will become co-ed for the 2017-18 school year.

The two-story, suite-style dorm will house female students on the first floor and males on the second to help accommodate the growing number of female students on campus. This transition will also allow females to live in the only suite-style dorm on campus.

This idea of a co-ed dorm has been a topic amongst Residential Life staff for over a year.

Dean of Students Aaron Quinn was influential in making the decision. Quinn presented the idea to VP of Student Life Joe Noonen, who took it to MVNU’s Senior Leadership Team.

The idea was approved last semester and MVNU administrators began planning the transition for next school year.

Resident Director Tim Radcliffe said the current setup for student entry to the living areas will have to be adjusted.

“The plan is to have scan-access to each floor,” Radcliffe said. “To access a floor, you’ll have to have your student ID.”

Many students are excited about the transition.

Sophomore Marissa Kalina plans to live in Redwood for the 2017-18 school year.

“It’s like dorm living but I am with three other people!” she said.

Redwood has 16 suites, with two rooms and one restroom per suite.

The dorm can house up to 64 students, but hasn’t been at capacity this year. At the beginning of the year, 59 students lived in Redwood. That number has dropped to 47 this semester.

Sophomore Trevor Moore, who lives in Redwood, said he feels more comfortable with the current all-male living arrangements in Redwood.

“I understand why they did it, but I don’t agree with it. There are a lot of problems that could come out of this,” he said.

“It’s already sectioned off from campus and there is more risk putting boys and girls” together in a secluded area, Moore pointed out.

The same rules will apply to the co-ed residence hall that are currently enforced in the apartment areas, Radcliffe said.

The renovated dorm will be for upperclass students, and visitation rules will still apply. Students of the opposite gender will not be permitted in the dorm rooms a er midnight.

Radcliffe believes these lifestyle guidelines will eliminate the concerns of many students.

“I don’t see this presenting any new issues,” said Radcliffe.

With the change, Redwood will no longer require two male Resident Assistants. Instead, there will be one male and one female.

Though Residential Life staff did discuss the possibility of building more dorms to accommodate the growing female population, they decided it would be a waste of resources at this time.

“As we’ve looked at numbers, we think that what we have right now is adequate for the number of students we have,” said Radcliffe.

Although “every year is different,” a slight drop or increase in enrollment figures will not affect the residential opportunities on campus, Radcliffe said.