Southern University’s Department of Residential Life and Housing has adopted several new policies since the arrival of their new director, Shandon Neal.
Neal was hired as the director of Resident Life and Housing on July 1, 2010. Since his arrival he has put in place new policies such as pre-assignment of dormitories and rooms, which began during Fall 2010.
“The pre-assignment of rooms help with budgetary issues and it also provides some kind of insight as to what you are dealing with. It also helps with space availability,” explained Neal.
According to Neal, no other institution in the United States allows students to show up to be housed and be assigned at that time. Southern University was the only institution, especially Historically Black College to allow students to be assigned the day of arrival.
“Upon my arrival here I realized that Southern University had been doing business, specifically in the area of Residential Life and Housing, the way they were doing it 15 to 20 years ago,” he said.
With this being the University’s first semester implementing pre-assigned rooms, the Residential Life’s staff was gunned down with student’s complaints and concerns. Many students raised concerns about their living arrangements when they were not housed with their requested roommate(s). Although many problems stemmed from this new policy, Neal assures that it will be beneficial to students during and after their collegiate careers.
“We will do better next semester to honor roommate requests. However, I am of the belief that the purpose of an institution of higher education is to prepare students for the next level, whether that next level is the world of work or the world of public service, ” Neal said. Regardless of which particular level you go to there is structure somewhere. You will have structure everywhere you go. When you go on a job site you’re not going to choose who you work with, who supervises you, or which site you work on. So if our purpose is to prepare you for the next level, then why not prepare you for it and make it a smooth thing for you because you have already had that preparation during your collegiate experience?” he continues.
Despite price increases and the new policies, Neal and his staff was able to house over 2,000 students with hopes of housing an additional 300.
“We have no room available in the apartments, but there are still vacancies in Bethune Hall and Washington Hall for male students wishing to be housed and in Shade Hall for females seeking assistance,” said Neal.
In addition to the new policies and procedures, students were also introduced to higher prices for their respective dormitories. The price inflation is believed to be a result of budget cuts the University has faced.
“The prices are set where they are. They won’t be going down. The reason for the increase was to help pay expenses. Prior to my arrival there hadn’t been an increase in 15 years and since then the prices of electricity, water, and other things have gone up,” said Neal.
Also, he is looking to make security deposit equal across the board. This means that everyone looking to be housed will have to pay the same amount for security deposits, whether it is to be housed in Boley, Shade, Bethune or the Apartments. Though nothing is set in stone, he’s looking to raise all room deposits to $150. The increase will come as a result of Neal wanting to ensure that all rooms are kept clean and presentable, with minimum wear of furniture and other parts of bedrooms and suits.
“We have to make sure that once someone moves into a unit at the beginning of the school year that it looks brand new, like no one has ever lived there, like we just put the furniture in and just took the plastic off,” said Neal.
Neal says that since he is trying to bring further a positive and more modern change to the department of Residential Life and Housing, he is open to feedback from students.
“I’m trying to work with the Student Government. We are in the process of formulating hall councils where we will get student opinions,” said Neal.
Neal is a Houston native and prior to coming to Southern he served as Assistant Residential Life Director at Prairie View and A &M College. He completed both his Bachelor’s and his Master programs at Prairie View. His undergraduate concentration was Political Science and he focused on Educational Leadership for his Master’s Program and a second Master’s in Public Administration. He has been in the field of residential life for about 12 years.
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Housing makes changes
August 26, 2010
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