When it comes to living on campus at the University of Idaho, there are a lot of options that everyone knows, such as Wallace Residence Center, the Theophilus Tower and the Living Learning Communities. However, there are also some that go under the radar that are a big part of the housing process for prospective and current UI students, such as McConnell Hall, North Campus Communities and the Stevenson wing in Wallace.
McConnell Hall
McConnell, designed for upperclassmen, offers single rooms perfect for students wanting a more private and academically focused living environment. This can give you the privacy feel of an apartment but is still in close proximity with everything that you will need.
McConnell features single-gender floors and has a large hangout space located in the basement. Each bedroom includes a sink, twin XL bed, closet, desk, bookshelves, chair and an additional set of three large drawers.
On paper it sounds like the perfect place, but like every place, it has its cons and downfalls.
Resident Justin Klerck, like most students, has had mixed reviews with housing and his time at McConnell has not been much different.
“McConnell, I’d say it’s a little better than the Tower, but not by much,” Klerck said. “It has its pros, like it’s all single rooms. It’s got the communal bathrooms, so we don’t have to clean them.”
“The laundry room situation is annoying because there are three washers and three dryers for the entire building. And of course, it floods every year. But as far as the room itself goes, it’s pretty good. And the people on my floor are pretty nice. I haven’t met all the guys, but the ones I have don’t have any complaints.”
Klerck has lived all three of his years at UI on campus and even with the deficits and challenges that are faced, he sees the benefits of living on campus.
“The convenience of being able to walk to class and being five minutes away from most of my classes, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “You meet a lot of people, you’re close to a lot of people that are your exact same age. So, you’ll make a lot of friends, and you’ll really get connected with the campus compared to, I would say, living off campus, you won’t be able to spend as much time on it.
“Living here for three years has probably made me connected to the point where I’ll miss it once I graduate. But now I would say I would recommend that freshmen live on campus their first year, so they really should too, mainly just meet a lot of friends.”
North Campus Communities
College lets students step out of their comfort zone and take the next step in their lives, and the North Campus Communities give them another way to do that.
Formerly the Fairbridge Inn hotel, the NCCs are designed for returning and transfer students who want a little more independence but also still want to be connected to the university. With the NCCs being a cheaper option for housing, it can provide the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone while still meeting your needs.
Rooms come with a major luxury that traditional dorms don’t have: private, in-room bathrooms. You share the bathroom with your roommate rather than an entire floor of people.
They are fully climate-controlled with air conditioning, which can be a huge plus in the fall and summers. They are furnished with extra-long twin beds, desks, chairs, wardrobes/dressers, a microwave and a mini fridge.
The NCCs, however, are not the closest to campus, as they sit along the Moscow-Pullman Highway, and even with the hotel feel, they have their challenges.
Resident Kai Burrus is a big fan of the NCC location and how he can walk to everything he needs.
“The location is really nice because I get to walk everywhere,” Burrus said. “So that’s really cool. I don’t have to worry about a car. I just stay here and I go to campus and walk everywhere, that’s very efficient, very nice.”
Along with the location, he also is a fan of the meal plans and activities associated with the NCCs and on-campus living.
“The housing is really nice, because you also get the meal plans for the eatery, that’s really convenient,” he said. “I don’t want to cook food. The food and location is pretty much what I mainly appreciate about the NCCs.”
Editor’s Note: As of early April, the Housing and Residence Life office at UI does not expect to open the NCCs for the 2026-27 school year.
Stevenson
For upperclassmen who want to stay more in the heart of campus, the newly renovated Stevenson wing in the Wallace Residence Center is another great option when it comes to choosing housing.
Stevenson, unlike the freshman wings, offers single rooms, a hot commodity when housing season comes around. Along with the single rooms, they offer traditional double rooms with a bathroom shared between two rooms.
Over this past school year, the university added some new perks and made a multi-million-dollar investment in modernizing the wing.
Some of those include new bathrooms, movable furniture and more, plus the traditional layout with laundry machines on the second and fourth floors and each floor having its own lounge where students can hang out, work on homework and more.
Housing has a lot of variables and options and can be stressful, but with all the options the UI has to offer, it also presents an exciting opportunity to build connections and develop a sense of belonging to the university.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].