First-year students at the University of Idaho have many living options on campus, but nowhere else stands as tall as Theophilus Tower ─ simply known as “the Tower.”
Standing at 11 stories, the Tower is a residence hall exclusively for first-year students with double-rooms on single-gender floors. According to the university’s website the rate for a double-room (living with a roommate) for the 2019-2020 academic year is priced at $2,270 per semester, and a single-room at $3,120 per semester.
Student amenities at the tower include a microwave, mini-refrigerator, laundry and mail among others.
Allison Falk, a first-year computer science major, said she chose independent living over Greek life because she really enjoys her own space and wanted to meet other people in her shoes.
“I prefer my alone time,” Falk said. “I think living in a house with like 60 girls would drive me off the wall. I liked how the Tower was all freshmen, and I think it’s a really important thing when you first start college to just integrate yourself. I think that process is a lot easier when it’s a bunch of people who don’t know anyone, or what they’re doing.”
Falk said she preferred the roommate structure of the Tower over the dorms and some aspects of the Tower are misunderstood.
“I took a tour of Wallace ─ I didn’t really like the whole suite-mate concept of Wallace,” Falk said. “I get there are community bathrooms here and people go ‘ah gross,’ but it really isn’t bad. I’ve never had to wait for a shower, ever. It’s never happened.”
Falk said she has been grateful for being paired with her roommate and the two have become close friends during their first year.
“My roommate’s name is Ashley, she’s so nice,” Falk said. “I got really, really lucky honestly. You know, you’re always afraid you’re going to get a really terrible roommate, but you can always switch your room or even maybe a single room, but I am very fortunate.”
Kyle Almeida, a first-year biochemistry major, said his roommate experience was a little bit different at first, but he has since found a great solution.
“When I first got here, I was rooming with a guy from California who I’d never met before,” Almeida said. “We really had opposite schedules in our day. So, he would always stay up super late at night, and I would wake up early in the morning. It kind of made it difficult, but I was able to move out of that room to a kid I went to high school with.”
Almeida said one of the best resources for a first-year student is Resident Assistants on each floor.
“My RA experience has been great, especially moving from one floor to another,” Almeida said.” I first lived on the third floor, and then I moved to the fifth floor. Both RAs, really all the RA’s are very helpful in general. If you need any study tips or need to find places or activities on campus they’re a great resource.”
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @WardOfTheWorlds