By Kelsey Gustafson

Despite student concerns regarding the soon-to-be-implemented four-year residency requirement, the deans of students continue to stand by their decision

“St. John’s believes strongly in a residential, liberal arts education,” SJU Dean of Students Mike Connolly said in an e-mail. “By having a higher percentage of students live as part of the on-campus community, it is our belief that more meaningful relationships and connections to St. John’s can be fostered.”

Of CSB/SJU, St. John’s will be the first to implement its policy, beginning with next year’s incoming first-years. This summer, the school will break ground for a new 58-bed apartment building in Flynntown that will be completed next fall. St. Ben’s has not passed anything yet, but expects to have its version of the policy enacted by the fall of 2010. This will give the school time to develop 150 beds worth of housing by fall of 2012.

“The four-year residential experience goes beyond actual residential facilities. It is the total residential experiences that includes student activities and opportunities, campus policies, dining, recreation and fitness and collaborations with academic affairs,” CSB Dean of Students Jody Terhaar said in an e-mail.

Ultimately, the goal is to increase the percentage of students living on campus to 90 percent at CSB and to 80 percent at SJU. This means there will continue to be some students living off campus. Juniors and seniors will be given the chance to petition to be part of this group. These applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the number of students granted exemptions will fluctuate with the size of each class.

Neither Terhaar nor Connolly believe the residency requirement will affect future student enrollment.

“Many of the students who consider CSB and SJU are also considering schools that already have four-year residency requirements. There may also be students who decide to enroll because of the four-year residential experience we offer who would not have selected us otherwise,” she said.

Even if the admissions office does not feel the effect of the new policy, the city of St. Joseph may, City Administrator Judy Weyrens said. Many of the rental properties in St. Joe are not set up for families. These properties will have to be revamped in order to target a non-student population.

“We don’t want empty buildings,” Weyrens said.

She is also concerned about the economic impact on the city. Because more students will have food plans and will not spend as much time walking around town, Weyrens is concerned that local business may suffer.

“We think (the residency requirement) has the potential to have a negative impact,” Weyrens said.

CSB/SJU will not be the only institution with such a policy. Schools such as Waldorf College in Iowa and Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania already have four-year residency requirements in place.

“Most national, residential liberal arts colleges have some type of a four-year residency requirement,” Terhaar said.

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