The U.Va White Paper & Karres' 'Campuses of the future'
Expecting to incite discussion around university housing and student social
culture, the 2015 Vortex Competition aims to address the lack of residential housing
for undergraduate students as well as issues corresponding student safety and
community awareness that have recently been at the forefront of discussion.
The White Paper
In July of 2013, Prof. Elizabeth Meyer, Prof. Bill Sherman, and Prof. Daniel
Bluestone wrote the “UVA Strategic Plan Residential Culture White Paper” which
lays out a compelling argument concerning this lack of university housing, stating
that U.Va stands fifth from the bottom in a list of the top 35 U.S. universities for
the percentage of students living in university housing.
The paper discussed the prospect of “strengthening UVA residential life” and
moving towards a “robust Academical Village that extends beyond the 19th century
historic grounds” that would aim to accommodate a larger percentage of the student
population and return the university to a place where students and faculty live,
work, and learn in a unified space.
Currently U.Va. only houses 41% of its undergraduate students in university
housing, a low percentage in comparison to other top universities in the U.S. such as
Princeton and Harvard, which house 98% and 99% of the population, respectively.
While the first year class is required to live on-Grounds, U.Va does not have enough
space to accommodate a large percentage of upperclassmen. The “White Paper” proposed
extending “the requirement for on- Grounds residence from the first year to the first
and second years,” which would increase student advising and accountability.
Students would then be able to choose whether they wished to stay on-Grounds or move
off-Grounds during their third and fourth years.
Campuses of the Future
In guest professor Sylvia Karres’ lunch lecture on Monday, a packed
audience heard the Dutch designer make numerous cases for better residential
housing here at U.Va. Karres showed correlations between top ranking
universities and the percentage of students living on campus, stating that there
has to be a corresponding balance between the quality of education and quality of
living for a holistic experience.
Karres is professional landscape architect who has designed for campuses all
over Europe and the Netherlands. Her day-two lecture centered around the main
theme of “campuses of the future.” Campuses of the future are sustainable, connect
to the city and are adaptive. She explained that buildings should be open to the
public and landscape, and avoid being exclusive, which is often the case throughout
the Greek houses on Rugby Road that are dedicated to only a small percentage of
UVA students. When Karres was asked about her opinion regarding fraternities in
the USA, the Dutch designer said, “I am not familiar with this phenomenon.”
Karres brings up another disconnect within our Grounds, stating that the
routes and entrances to campus should act as connectors to the city. She makes
this the focus of many of her campus projects where these thresholds are major
connectors of public spaces, student housing, and pedestrian systems. The
introduction of supermarkets, a clinic and even a police station in one of her housing
projects brought about a sense of safety that could improve safety around Grounds.
So is U.Va ready to be a campus of the future? Or is it holding on too tight to
the past?
For more info on where U.Va stands in University Residential Life, visit these links:
Best College Dorms
Dorms with Amenities
-Ryan Wheeless, Adjoa Akowuah
culture, the 2015 Vortex Competition aims to address the lack of residential housing
for undergraduate students as well as issues corresponding student safety and
community awareness that have recently been at the forefront of discussion.
The White Paper
In July of 2013, Prof. Elizabeth Meyer, Prof. Bill Sherman, and Prof. Daniel
Bluestone wrote the “UVA Strategic Plan Residential Culture White Paper” which
lays out a compelling argument concerning this lack of university housing, stating
that U.Va stands fifth from the bottom in a list of the top 35 U.S. universities for
the percentage of students living in university housing.
The paper discussed the prospect of “strengthening UVA residential life” and
moving towards a “robust Academical Village that extends beyond the 19th century
historic grounds” that would aim to accommodate a larger percentage of the student
population and return the university to a place where students and faculty live,
work, and learn in a unified space.
Currently U.Va. only houses 41% of its undergraduate students in university
housing, a low percentage in comparison to other top universities in the U.S. such as
Princeton and Harvard, which house 98% and 99% of the population, respectively.
While the first year class is required to live on-Grounds, U.Va does not have enough
space to accommodate a large percentage of upperclassmen. The “White Paper” proposed
extending “the requirement for on- Grounds residence from the first year to the first
and second years,” which would increase student advising and accountability.
Students would then be able to choose whether they wished to stay on-Grounds or move
off-Grounds during their third and fourth years.
Campuses of the Future
In guest professor Sylvia Karres’ lunch lecture on Monday, a packed
audience heard the Dutch designer make numerous cases for better residential
housing here at U.Va. Karres showed correlations between top ranking
universities and the percentage of students living on campus, stating that there
has to be a corresponding balance between the quality of education and quality of
living for a holistic experience.
Karres is professional landscape architect who has designed for campuses all
over Europe and the Netherlands. Her day-two lecture centered around the main
theme of “campuses of the future.” Campuses of the future are sustainable, connect
to the city and are adaptive. She explained that buildings should be open to the
public and landscape, and avoid being exclusive, which is often the case throughout
the Greek houses on Rugby Road that are dedicated to only a small percentage of
UVA students. When Karres was asked about her opinion regarding fraternities in
the USA, the Dutch designer said, “I am not familiar with this phenomenon.”
Karres brings up another disconnect within our Grounds, stating that the
routes and entrances to campus should act as connectors to the city. She makes
this the focus of many of her campus projects where these thresholds are major
connectors of public spaces, student housing, and pedestrian systems. The
introduction of supermarkets, a clinic and even a police station in one of her housing
projects brought about a sense of safety that could improve safety around Grounds.
So is U.Va ready to be a campus of the future? Or is it holding on too tight to
the past?
For more info on where U.Va stands in University Residential Life, visit these links:
Best College Dorms
Dorms with Amenities
-Ryan Wheeless, Adjoa Akowuah