First-year students beginning their college experience in the fall will have two main options for housing: two of the four Wallace Complex wings or the Theophilus Tower.
“Wallace really is the hub. It has the dining hall, academic success center, biggest basement, best computer lab space and the mailboxes are right there,” said Jennifer Skinner, the Housing & Residence Life Customer Relations Manager.
She said for fall 2016, the first-year wings of Wallace (Gooding and Willey) will be completely renovated. Some of these changes include new carpet, new tile, new drapes, updated vents, wireless Internet and a fresh coat of paint.
Skinner said Wallace will look much brighter and more modern compared to pre-renovations.
The Tower has yet to get similar renovations, but Skinner said about 50 more students so far have chosen Tower for their home next year compared to those who have chosen Wallace.
Jesus Vargas, the Resident Advisor in the Stevenson wing of Wallace was an RA in the Tower last year, and said the Tower is the better choice for outgoing students.
“The Tower is very social, interactive and an easy place for students to make new friends,” Vargas said.
One reason for the difference is that Wallace has fire-safe doors, which always have to be closed. Vargas said that makes it harder to meet people on your floor because they can”t interact as easily as in the Tower.
Vargas said Wallace rooms have more storage space for school supplies, and the Tower has more storage space for clothing items.
Vargas and Skinner both said there are many differences between the Tower and Wallace.
The Tower has single-gender floors, with engineering and honor themed floors. Each room is split down the middle with identical amenities on each side. A community bathroom and floor lounge is located in the center of each floor.
On the other hand, Wallace has single-gender suites, but co-ed floors. The suite styled rooms come with bunk beds and a shared desk space. The bathroom is located between the two dorm rooms.
Vargas said he has noticed that Wallace takes more communication between roommates, because it isn”t always clear where the line is drawn between each roommate”s space, where as in the Tower, there is one half of the room for each person.
Vargas said as an RA he has heard complaints and praises about both dorms.
He said residents in the Tower like that they don”t have to clean a bathroom, but often complain about the “important stuff” being in Wallace.
“Lots of students also like to play ping pong, air hockey, and pool in the Wallace basement,” Vargas said. “Those aren”t really available in the Tower.”
Vargas suggested that students who are shy but want to make new friends should strongly consider the Tower, while students who like their own space most of the time should consider Wallace.
He said that those are good general guidelines, but that many other factors may take precedence, and it all depends on the kind of experience students are looking for.
Diamond Koloski can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @diamond_uidaho