After the sale of Tealridge—a dormitory option for students—toward the end of last semester, many upperclassmen girls became afraid they would not be able to room with their previously planned roommate group.
With confusion concerning this “housing crisis” spreading on campus at the end of last semester, the Talon sat down with Director of Housing Candace Bass to get the facts.
Q: At the end of last semester, current junior girls were concerned they would have to live in Tinius again due to a lack of space in the apartments. Has this problem resolved?
“There are a few beds available in Phase Four, but there aren’t any open apartments. It is filled. For many students, they had the option of staying with their friends or choosing an apartment in Phase Six or Five. They each made a choice about what was important to them, and it was more important to stay with their friend groups so some of them did choose to stay in Tinius. Some were on the waitlist and have been placed in the apartments. Right now, I don’t know if anyone on the waitlist that wants in the apartments that are in Tinius and didn’t get in.”
Q: With the selling of Tealridge in the last year, has overcrowding been an issue at all?
“It’s not overcrowding, but it is full. When we were at Tealridge, we did have empty apartments there and in Phase Three, Four, Five and Six. Now we don’t have [many] empty apartments, but we do have spaces for all the students.”
Q: Many students still have a desire to live off-campus and the Student Government Association attempted to loosen some of those guidelines. Do you expect any of those changes to be implemented?
“Those rules are set in place by the board, so it’s not anything I decide, it’s just what I get to implement. Nothing about that has changed this year. But the reason why it’s there is because Oklahoma Christian values the residential experience that students can get living together and being here on campus. Studies show that students who live on campus generally perform better and stay in school longer than students who live off-campus and get disconnected.”
Q: Last year, the Connect Program went into place to create communities in dorms and apartments. Many students wondered why these events were not kudos approved. Can you explain the reasoning behind this?
“[Kudos] events are supposed to be an hour-long Bible or worship event, and that’s not what Connect is. Maybe about half of it is spent in prayer or song or devotion, and the other half is maybe playing games or watching a TV show. So it doesn’t really fit what is required to have a kudo. Also, the goal for Connect is just what the name says, to connect. It’s not just checking a box. The goal is for students who want to really get to know their community to have a space to do that.”
Q: Can students expect any new renovations to take place or programs to start up in the upcoming school year?
“There have been some renovations over the summer. Behind Fails and Warlick between those buildings and Wilson, there’s a new outdoor space. There’s grills, new tables and benches. The bigger plan is to also add a fire pit, so we’re hopefully going to add that this semester. The Nowlin center has been refurbished with some ‘new to us’ furniture. So that’s a much more accommodating space. We also got a grant from the Oklahoma Christian Women’s Association to update the Tinius kitchen. We will be working on that in the fall.”
Q: What are you most looking forward to for this school year?
“We have such an awesome team. It’s a really great staff, from our residence directors to our assistant directors, CMAs, RAs. I’m just really excited to see how God will use each of them this year to bless the residents. They’re all energetic and excited to connect with students, build relationships and grow communities in their area.”
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