Many freshmen start college on a high note living in Theophilus Tower, the tallest building in Moscow.
“When it was built, the fire department didn’t have a ladder tall enough to get to the top,” University Housing Marketing Manager Danielle Anthony said. “So, they had to get a super tall ladder.”
The Tower is the only residence hall exclusively for first-year students. It is also one of the most socially active residence halls, Anthony said.
“All students are sharing the same experience, coming in, living independently,” she said. “And we have found there’s great success in the first-year students living together,”
Anthony said retention rates are higher among freshmen who live with other freshmen.
Kyle Pfannenstiel, a third-floor resident, said students living in the Tower often create friendships with their neighbors.
“Most floors kind of created their own community,” he said. “The third floor like — we don’t do a lot of stuff, but a lot of the guys on our floor are good friends and hang out.”
Pfannenstiel said he only lived on-campus because of the university’s policy that all first years do so. He said living in the Tower showed him the value of the policy.
“I feel like it’s really nice to be in the dorms because they have a community around you, like all your neighbors, and they have (The Resident Hall Association), and even on-campus organizations that are here to help you,” he said. “Honestly, they offer a really awesome support group for students, because I know that the first year is stressful on a lot of students.”
Until this year, the Tower was the only residence hall offering a freshmen-only living experience. Now, Wallace also has two wings set aside for first years.
Anthony said the downside of the Tower is that it is further from the Student Success Center and Bob’s Place — the cafeteria — than Wallace.
“You need to walk out to those places instead of just being able to roll out of your sleep,” she said.
Pfannenstiel also said he dislikes that the Tower only has one kitchen, on the seventh floor, for everyone in the building to use.
However, unlike Wallace, the Tower has two themed halls. There is one male and one female floor for each, as Tower floors are gendered. Two floors are for members of the Honors Program and two are for students in engineering. Anthony said this set-up provides greater support for these students, who often take similar courses and can study together.
Jack Gonzalez, an 11th floor resident, said he chose the Tower because of his involvement with the Honors Program.
“Study groups is a really, really major part of my decision,” he said. “A lot of people who are living on the honors floor are going to be the kind of kids who care about their classes.”
Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7