ULV housing makes improvements

photo by Amy Babin

(Top): The Fairplex Sheraton Hotel, at the southeastern end of the Fairplex, will serve as a dormitory for many ULV students this year. Darshawna Sharp, Mike Stallings, Joe Mclelan, Donte Witherspoon, and Arleen Lopez gather to play video games in one of the rooms. (Bottom): Freshman Donte Witherspoon and junior Franke Alvarado frequent the pool and spa at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel, currently serves as a dormitory. Also available outdoors is a barbeque.

by Gloria Diaz
Arts & Entertainment Editor

After having a number of problems last year, the University of La Verne Office of Housing and Residential Life is looking to bounce back, improving its reputation.

Among improvements new director of housing and residential life Byron Howlett, and placing students at the Sheraton Suites in Pomona.

The Sheraton is structured differently than the Red Roof Inn, where some students stayed last year.

Unlike the Red Roof, for example, the corridors are inside the hotel. Students opened their doors to the outside, which allowed strangers walking by to look into the room at the Red Roof.

"There are still safety concerns at the Sheraton, but they are not as great," Howlett said.

"The Sheraton wanted to have ULV students there," he added.

The only complaint about the Sheraton is that students do not have free telephone service or free internet access, as they would if they lived in one of the on campus residence halls. Howlett said that the housing office is looking into solving the problem.As for on-campus life another adjustment made to the residence halls this year is the installment of new sprinklers in the Oaks, which many hope will prevent some of last years serious sprinkler problems. The new sprinklers are hard to break, which is good news to Oaks residents.

"We expect to see a significant decrease in the sprinkler problems this year," Howlett said.

As a consequence of the sprinkler problems, upon moving in, students must sign an "On-Campus Housing Liability for Personal Property Acknowledgement" Form. It states that "ULV assumes no responsibility or liability and provides no insurance of financial protection for the personal property of students."

Although this form is part of the standard paperwork at other institutions, this is a first for ULV.

"We have such a dynamic RA staff this year," Howlett said. "I've been watching them from afar and they seem to really be doing a wonderful job so far.."

Howlett said that there is good programming in the works for residents this year. As for enforcing enforcing the rules of on-campus housing, Howlett reassured that he and the housing staff will "act swiftly, but with heart."

"People are responsible for their own actions and we plan to hold people accountable for their actions," Howlett said. "Living on campus is a privilege, we have to remind people of that."

Howlett also commented on the death of Mazen Saab, "even though he was a first-year student, still he was a critical member of our ULV family."