Each year, residence directors, student life associates and members of student leadership try to develop plans to further benefit and progress resident life at Eastern. Recently word has spread that Eagle Hall is become an exclusively upperclassmen dorm. This would mean that incoming freshman would live in the five other dorms on campus, including Eagle Hall’s neighbor, Sparrowk Hall. This decision comes with the hope that experimenting within the residents halls will develop student life in its entirety.
Eastern believes that with the integration of students in residence halls, they will develop their worldview. Knowing about other viewpoints and ideas within each dorm can help do this– help develop character identity within each resident student. In addition, Eastern strives to integrate Christian faith into the residence halls and develop a Christ-like way of life. This comes with the incorporation of weekly Grow Groups and having a Student Chaplain on many of the floors. They also strive on having Resident Assistants who are students who will integrate community as well as abide by the rules of Eastern’s community.
For the past two years, I have been a resident of Hainer Hall, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the incorporation of different people of different ages and backgrounds to develop my knowledge of varying perspectives. However, next year I will be living in Eagle Hall as a Resident Assistant. Not only will I be experiencing different perspectives and viewpoints like in previous years, I will also be responsible for integrating that kind of community. Although my excitement to take on this role is astronomical, I am wary on Eagle becoming the hall for such an experiment that could lead to less community. However, many are excited for the impending change for Eastern as a whole.
“I hope that this is a beginning of a change for Eastern. I felt that with [many] of these rules, I was restricted to develop into my own person. I actually felt like a child [rather] than an upcoming adult,” Daneille Robertson said.
Although Eastern enforces many rules that may seem strict, it is interesting to see if this change to Eagle will allow for upperclassmen students to feel more trusted while living on campus. Above all, I think the biggest obstacle Eagle Hall will face is the integration of community among the floors. My best moments of community in Hainer were those that I experienced as a freshman. However, as a future Resident Assistant of Eagle, I hope that community can become an integral piece of every floor. Without having freshman on the floors that have never been exposed to college life can potentially take away from the excitement of move in day among other exciting underclassmen events. It is going to be up to the leadership team of Eagle Hall to ensure that community can come through between upperclassmen.
Source: Eagle Residence Staff