Interview with Jack Huls about dorms at PC
Anita York
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Campus Life
An interview with Jack Huls, vice president of student services.
Q: Are there any definite plans for new student dorms at PC?
Huls: Any new dorms are still in the distant future. We want to work with the local community to assess the need for campus housing-do a feasibility study-so no decision has been made at this point. There has to be a demand for the dorms or it won't happen.
Q: Why were the old dorms demolished?
Huls: The decision was made to close the old dorms in 2004 when the dorm population was at 29. The use of the dorms had been in decline for almost 10 years. The dorms could house 100 students. The administration talked about up-dating the dorms, but it didn't get far because the need-the number of students actually using the dorms-was low. The dorms were old but still usable. They were pretty outdated, though with problems like long hallways with bathrooms all the way at the end. The real deciding factor, though, was the 25% capacity. So when the facility was looked at, the need just wasn't warranted after the research was done. Closing the dorms was a financial decision.
Q: If new dorms are ever built at PC, which students will get to use them?
Huls: If new dorms were to be built, they would be for all students, not just the international students.
Q: Thinking into the future, what might new dorms be like for the students?
Huls: More private sleeping areas-a lot of students these days are not used to sharing sleeping areas, so the move is toward a common area, but with separate sleeping.
Huls would like feedback on the housing situation by email at jhul@pcadmin.ctc.edu. He also encourages groups of students to make appointments with him and the ASC office to discuss needs and interests around student housing.
Q: Are there any definite plans for new student dorms at PC?
Huls: Any new dorms are still in the distant future. We want to work with the local community to assess the need for campus housing-do a feasibility study-so no decision has been made at this point. There has to be a demand for the dorms or it won't happen.
Q: Why were the old dorms demolished?
Huls: The decision was made to close the old dorms in 2004 when the dorm population was at 29. The use of the dorms had been in decline for almost 10 years. The dorms could house 100 students. The administration talked about up-dating the dorms, but it didn't get far because the need-the number of students actually using the dorms-was low. The dorms were old but still usable. They were pretty outdated, though with problems like long hallways with bathrooms all the way at the end. The real deciding factor, though, was the 25% capacity. So when the facility was looked at, the need just wasn't warranted after the research was done. Closing the dorms was a financial decision.
Q: If new dorms are ever built at PC, which students will get to use them?
Huls: If new dorms were to be built, they would be for all students, not just the international students.
Q: Thinking into the future, what might new dorms be like for the students?
Huls: More private sleeping areas-a lot of students these days are not used to sharing sleeping areas, so the move is toward a common area, but with separate sleeping.
Huls would like feedback on the housing situation by email at jhul@pcadmin.ctc.edu. He also encourages groups of students to make appointments with him and the ASC office to discuss needs and interests around student housing.
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