The state of accommodation and student dormitory is not only in a sorry condition, but also far below the recommended standard as per the requirements of the local university council. This letter is a proposal to your office to add extra dormitories for students who opt to stay on campus and reduce the amount of time they use on commuting. As you are aware, the current population of the students far outweighs the capacity of the established and existing dormitories. This is therefore a call to your office to develop extra dormitories to contain the rising number of students the University is absorbing. As you are aware, the University is set to increase the number of students enrolling in several faculties, which will further put a strain on the few existing dormitories. Taking an example of the faculty of engineering, which has a total population of 7500 students, including the newly registered freshmen, the dormitory allocated to absorb the number can only take a maximum capacity of 5000 students. It thus leaves over 2000 students without a place within the campus to stay. It is the wish of the majority of students to live within the premises of the institution, to reduce the amount of time they may use in commuting. This letter is hereby intended to request your office to add extra dormitories to contain the rising number of students.
Adding extra dorm to contain the rising number of students is not only intended to reduce congestion, but also help the students feel at home within the learning institution. In most instances, students who miss on accommodation within the institution take up accommodation in apartments that lack basic utilities for learning. For instance, an apartment put up approximately five miles from the institution to help students who miss on the dormitories. However, the state of the dormitories does not offer an appropriate environment for effective studies. Not only do residents share social amenities like washrooms, there is no open space for recreation among other things, which are very essential to the basic needs of students. According to the Africa News Service (2009), dormitories play an important role in the well-being of students among them a favorable environment for learning and special parameters that cater specifically for the needs of students. However, it becomes an issue if the Arizona University is unable to provide for full accommodation for its students. It is the wish of students to feel completely as part of the institution by using its catering facilities in addition to the co-curriculum activities. The majority of parents has a reservation of inadequacy on the part of the University failing to meet the basic needs of the students. On the other hand, the surrounding community would feel proud of a learning institution that is capable of absorbing all of young people for higher learning. The drawback of inadequate boarding facilities should not be a detriment towards achieving this milestone of offering the community at large the best services towards attaining higher education status.
From the perspective of the students, an addition unit of the dormitories will offer students a good environment that will help the University attain a high level in ranking on social amenities and student welfare. Students need the best of facilities in order to utilize the amenities offered by the University. By establishing ultra-modern dormitories, the University will be honoring the student’s well-being in addition to focusing on attaining a high standard in the education sector. Rooms with well-designed corridors, walls, washrooms, spacing, and security measures give students the confidence in the institutions offering the best services for them. On the other hand, parents would be safe and confident of their children stay at the University unlike a situation whereby they take an apartment that does not offer any education related amenities. Some of the modern facilities that the institution can put up include ceiling fans, non-noise generators, a fitness facility, entertainment room, swimming pools, a mini theater, kitchen compartment, 24 hours Wi-Fi, in addition to living rooms, and cable TVs. These not only make up a modern dormitory, but it also serves as a recreational center that enables the students to explore physical and recreational activities. A good dormitory should be well equipped with modern safety equipments in addition to use of modern building materials that will ensure the well-being of the students. Including the washrooms, the kitchen, recreational facilities, ceiling, walls, and the floors, the new dormitories to be built ought to use the most recent technologies that will be in line with modern building trends. According to the Africa News Service (2009), the eating area should be well equipped with comfortable chairs, round or square table that will offer ample space for the large number of students. Use and building with modern equipments will ensure that the University constructs strong and long lasting dormitories that will benefit many generations to come. While designing the dormitories, the architectures need to pay close attention to the lighting system, smooth edges inside the rooms, use of friendly colors, wall texture, in addition to a safe and comfortable flooring design. These will not only ensure that the building meets the recommended standard of a University dormitory, but also put the interest of the students at heart which is to have the best facilities within the campus.
The University should invest in the best architectural firm in addition to a good building and construction firm to start work on the additional dormitory. While putting up the dormitory, the University management needs to give the architectural firm and the construction company some of the recommendations from the students on how to incorporate their ideas into the design in order to have a dormitory that will suit their lifestyle while within the confines of the University. According to the student governing council, it is important that any upcoming dormitory added to the University meet their recommendations in terms of design and the intended outcome. Other mundane aspects such as flooring, color, light system, and the internal arrangement ought to reflect the taste of the students while paying attention to their comfort and well-being.
Finally, as the President of the University, it is in the interest of the student body to involve the administration in the management of the University and portray it in the best way possible to the local community and within the states and outside borders. The student body requests to forward its recommendations to your office on some of the ideas students would like incorporated in designing and constructing the dormitory. From the students’ travelling to various learning institutions that have dormitory facilities, it has come to the realization of the students that some of the buildings serving as dormitories do not have facilities for students with special needs. The student body thus requests your office to reconstruct, and redesign these buildings to accommodate the needs of the students more so in the dormitories. Physically challenged student and student who are left handed feel left out as all of the designs in the dormitories favor right handed people with little consideration for left-handed people. The situation also applies to students with special needs who find it difficult to use the staircase. The designing firm together with the construction company should put this into consideration in order to facilitate an easy lifestyle for the left handed and physically challenged students. For example, all the showers and beds, mostly favor left handed students as they are designed for ease of use by the right handed. It thus explains the reason as to why the recommendations of students need to be taken into consideration while designing the dormitories.
To conclude, it is worth noting that the University management should lay more emphasis on expanding the university to incorporate many courses within the existing faculties given that the University will soon experience a rise in population, which may pose a serious threat on student safety and social amenities. To avoid a last minute rush by students seeking for accommodation, the University management through your office needs to act fast to avoid inconvenience to new incoming students and unnecessary worry to the parents. The learning institution serves, as a second home to all the students and their well fair and well-being should be amongst the University’s priorities while putting up social amenities.
References
Constructing a Good Dormitory, (2009). Africa News Service