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Fall 2010 Q&A
Housing, studying, meals (of course)—and other essentials of campus life

We are approaching the new year with excitement and with a strong commitment to prepare well for your arrival. We are eager to welcome you here in the fall.

We know that you are also preparing -- for a new experience in a new place -- and we want to convey our best wishes. We also want to assure you that we are taking a number of steps to accommodate a larger-than-expected freshman class and to communicate what these steps may mean to you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Residence Life & Housing Office at 509.777.4533. In the meantime, here's some information in response to frequently-asked questions. We hope this is helpful!

Why are more students enrolling at Whitworth this fall than is usually the case?

Whitworth planned this year to continue the moderate 2 percent enrollment growth trend we've followed for the past decade. In light of the financial pressure students and their families may be experiencing in this challenging economic environment, we admitted a slightly higher percentage of our applicant pool. However, an unprecedented proportion of students we admitted made the decision to enroll at Whitworth, leading to a record incoming class. Overall, it is great news that so many students are choosing Whitworth, and we are focused on providing the excellent educational and living experience that attracted them here.

What does that mean for classes?

We are as committed as we've always been to providing an excellent educational experience, which includes maintaining a low student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes. We believe that relationships -- between students and professors as well as between students and their peers -- are the best context for learning. We will offer academic advising with a faculty member who has a special interest in you and your transition to college life. Through hiring additional professors and adding course sections, we will continue to offer a curriculum schedule that allows you to complete your degree in four years. 

What is the impact on housing and what is being done about it?

We strive to provide housing for every student -- particularly all first-year students -- who would like to live on campus. And we work hard to nurture a residential experience and campus community that supports academic, social and spiritual growth.

For these reasons, we have pursued every option available this summer to expand student housing.  We have purchased or leased additional homes near campus to expand our popular theme house program; provided incentives to upper-division students to live in these homes or to move off-campus; and retrofitted suitable residence hall areas to expand capacity and to make more efficient use of space. We also identified and furnished selected residence hall rooms that could accommodate an extra person. Space in these rooms will be limited, so students are urged to plan accordingly in what they bring to campus.

We looked into the use of area hotels. We decided not to pursue this option because the hotels near us are too isolated from campus life and we believe better options are available. 

How were these "extra person" rooms selected?

Though most housing assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis, in this case room size and configuration were also factored in. The housing staff went to every room and determined which could, in terms of physical space, accommodate one more person, complete with proper furniture.  They prioritized spaces according to which worked best, and that became the basis on which the additional spaces were assigned.

As you know by now, room costs for all students living in these spaces with an additional person will be discounted for as long as the students need to be there. Spaces typically become available mid-year as people leave campus for study-abroad programs; students living with extra people will be given first priority to move into those spaces as they become available.

How will food services accommodate the large enrolling class?

We are extending lunch and dinner hours in the Hixson Union Building (HUB) dining hall. In addition, a specialty entree will be offered in the café each evening, which should encourage use of the Multipurpose Room for dinner. Finally, we are looking at new seating in additional places in the HUB.

What about the rest of campus life? 

To address study space, two large Duvall lounges will be equipped with study tables and white boards. We're extending hours that study space is available in other buildings around campus. Also, Hendrick Hall, which houses the new intercultural center, will serve as an additional space for tutoring and study support.

For recreation opportunities, we are exploring additional fitness options both off and on-campus. We expect to be able to provide more details very soon.

How about places for social gathering?

Whitworth's residence halls are designed with abundant gathering spaces to encourage community life; lounges and study rooms will continue to be great places for students to socialize and study together.

Beginning this fall, the HUB will be open until 1 a.m. each night/morning. The coffee shop also will be open and serving coffee for the extended hours.

You are probably accustomed to getting lots of e-mails, and that won't change when you get to Whitworth. Most offices at Whitworth (registrar, student accounting & financial aid) use e-mail as their primary means of communicating with students. It is, therefore, very important that you check your Whitworth e-mail daily.