The College of Basic Sciences will become the University’s eighth residential college in fall 2009, housing 220 students in Evangeline Hall.Despite this semester’s record number of applicants that forced some rooms in the Pentagon to house three students, Residential Life Director Steve Waller said there should not be much effect on room availability because the project will not eliminate any bed space. “There are students in the College of Basic Sciences already living on campus who are eligible for the new residential college,” Waller said. “It won’t have that much of an impact.”The University currently has residential colleges for concentrations like engineering, business and agriculture. Waller said all residential colleges have a policy which allows students outside the college to fill available space if the college fails to fill the residence hall, but that is unlikely.”We have the largest major on campus and a couple of thousand incoming students each year,” said Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Basic Sciences. “We don’t anticipate any empty spaces.”Applicants for the new residential college must be a science major, meet University requirements and be eligible to take Biology 1201 and Chemistry 1201, said Gary Byerly, associate dean for Academic Services.Byerly said the college will begin screening applicants in January. He said they will accept the first 150 eligible applicants, but keep the remaining 70 spots open to balance gender and varying majors.”We’re trying to produce something that feels like a small liberal arts school in the middle of a big campus,” Byerly said. “Most students will take the same classes together and feel like they’re getting to know all 220 students around them.”Byerly said the Evangeline Hall library will be dedicated to women in science, displaying portraits of accomplished University science alumnae. He said the dedication honors Evangeline Hall’s history as an all-female dorm.Carman said students began asking to form a residential college. And in only a few months, the College of Basic Sciences, ResLife and Academic Affairs have swiftly moved the project forward, Carman said.—-Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]
College of Basic Sciences to become residential college
December 2, 2008