www.belmontvision.com The student newspaper of Belmont University Vol. 60, No. 6 February 23, 2012 Table of Contents Freshmen feel the pinch of growing enrollment ......................... 2 Keeping it Personal: Freshman trades in label deal ................... 7 Upperclassmen ask for more on-campus housing ...................... 2 Hillsboro Art Walk turns storefronts into galleries ...................... 7 Music majors need practice rooms ........................................... 3 For your reading pleasure ....................................................... 8 Nursing major preps for national pageant ................................. 3 Songwriters share room, sometimes stage ................................ 8 Wit and Wal-Mart: Sophomore songwriter’s video goes viral ........ 4 Beat ‘n’ Track: Tristen Smith ................................................... 9 New site brings out ‘inner bulletin board’ ................................. 4 Baseball ready to repeat ....................................................... 10 Brian Wilson: Is The Pill the next culture war? .......................... 5 Diamond Girls starts inaugural season ................................... 10 Autumn Allison: My day at Occupy Nashville ............................ 5 Sharp shot: Ernst shows potential on, off court ....................... 12 ‘De-Occupy’ A bill that could bring down a movement ............... 6 Katie Greene: Being a Braves fan, through rain and long lines .. 12 Page 2 The Belmont Vision, February 23, 2012 Freshmen Upperclassmen feel the ask for more pinch of growing on-campus enrollment housing By Brian Wilson By Brian Wilson Editor Editor Something is off about Bear With larger year-to-year classes, on-campus housing for sopho- House 436. mores and upperclassmen are becoming a greater issue than ever. The room still has the feel of Not only are more upperclassmen choosing to stay at Belmont, a freshman dorm room, complete but more also want to stay on campus. This need for rooms, up to with Audrey Hepburn posters and 40 percent from 35 percent in previous years, stretched the office of Christmas lights that stay on the Residence Life to an unexpected point last year, director of residence wall throughout the year. life Anthony Donovan said. But the 16-by-16 space is much “It was overwhelming, quite frankly,” he said. more cramped than a double room Donavan thought the existing dorms and apartments for upper- should be. classmen were going as to be as full as they ever had been. But a Looking up can begin to portion of Bruin Hills was demolished last spring to make way for explain the lack of space. new residences and another parking garage. That left fewer beds for Two beds are bunked, while upperclassmen than in 2010-11. another is lofted with a desk under Despite the rising demand for upperclassman on-campus housing, it. Two desks are strutted out in the priority of residence life is to house the freshmen and sophomores the middle of the room, necessary they have guaranteed a spot for on-campus. for just two of the residents of the photo by autumn allison “Where we are, that is very close to where we need to be. We try to room. The number of tripled-up double rooms have increased steadily year-to- house all the people we’re required to house,” Donovan said. Any extra room would be a year, even with a dramatic increase in freshman residence halls. The office While no plans are now officially set, he has some ideas about luxury here; any space for your- of Residence Life prepared for around 200 of these triples last fall. what could help alleviate the growing need for housing for upper- self is nearly impossible. classmen. That’s the way it is in Bear At the very least, these addi- concerns dealt with space issues, “We have a number of things,” he said. “You could find incen- House 436, otherwise known tional but necessary triples change personal issues still arise, and tives to encourage upperclassmen to move off campus. The university as a tripled-up double room and the dynamic of a dorm room and sometimes in different ways. could be a little more lenient on their exemption policy.” home for first-year students Carrie the experiences of many first year Tripling up, Donovan said, In an attempt to more efficiently handle upperclassmen housing, Chalker, Jennifer Shearon and students. brings an emotional experience this year’s housing draw will take place the week of April 16, which Stephanie Pitts. While Bear House 436 was that can still be similar to living in Donovan hopes will allow students to have a more definite sense of With rising enrollment, these initially meant to be a double, the a typical double room. their living situation for the fall. tripled-up doubles have become room has been reconfigured to fit “It’s not bad, but it’s different,” These steps, however, will not be the last steps to fix housing for an even larger element of Belmont three girls, their belongings, and he said. “The same issues are upperclassmen. freshman life despite the fast pace their personalities. there. They just tend to manifest Despite the “pretty much unheard of” boom in residence hall of new dorm construction, said “Originally, I don’t think we themselves more quickly and more construction – seven residence halls will have been built since 2003 Anthony Donovan, director of knew what to do with each other,” intensely.” after the two phases of Bruin Hills construction – the university will residence life. Chalker said. “Yet the three of us Emma Reeves, a second-year still have to compensate for further growth. Residence life initially together balance each other out. residence assistant at Patton and “We build just enough to get us to the next phase sometimes. prepared for 200 triples to be used former triple resident, agreed, When you have that, you are never ahead very long,” Donovan said. in fall 2011. Around 180 of them saying most of these issues are The new Bruin Hills residence hall will house 298 students in four- were eventually used, and only “We’ve had to be resolved early in the semester. or five-bedroom apartments this fall. An adjacent building with 195 around 125 are in use now, but For her, the additional dozen or beds will also be built after the new residence hall is completed. Donovan said he expects an even creative. And as so residents she has because of The two Bruin Hills phases are all that the university has higher number of triples will be each freshman the extra triples this year have announced for new upperclassman housing, but Donovan said there necessary to accommodate next changed her responsibilities as an will be greater housing need in the future. year’s freshman class. class grows, our RA. “We’ll probably build at a higher density than we have before,” he “That’s been our biggest chal- sophomore class is “It takes a lot of time,” she said. lenge,” he said. “We’ve had to be said. “Part of being an RA is creative. And as each freshman the biggest ever.” having a personal relationship class grows, our sophomore class Anthony Donovan with all of your girls. It’s a lot is among the biggest ever.” dirEctor of rEsidEncE lifE harder to build 50 personal rela- The actual number of incoming tionships in a month.” resident students is hard to predict The influx of students also since the total number of students We all have our moments.” makes it more challenging just to isn’t confirmed until well into the Even with those moments, the keep up with her residents. summer. three have been able to bond and “Some residents might get lost Donovan compared the enroll- cooperate with each other to make in the shuffle. It’s hard to notice ment situation to Belmont to a their living situation work. when one of them is not leaving closing faucet. “We’re all mature enough not their room in two days or needs “The problem is when to turn to get petty over stupid things,” help,” she said. the faucet off. You can still over- Pitts said. Each of the three roommates flow the bucket below it,” he said. For many, living in a tripled-up acknowledged how often triples Even when the bucket over- double also changes the physical don’t work and considered them- flows, residence life is still dynamic of the room, especially selves lucky to have ended up required to provide housing for when it comes to personal space. with each other in the triple. freshmen and sophomores who “Don’t expect to have a lot of While they don’t regret living don’t commute. With this in mind, people over to chill,” Pitts said. in a triple together, if they had to more rooms will be available for “There’s literally no place for do it again, all three would rather freshmen next year when Wright them.” be in a double. and Maddox halls will become all- With three people in the room, At least a double room that freshman dorms for the first time studying can also be a challenge. only houses two people. since spring 2010. “I learned I can’t concentrate “It would be nice to have “Our goal is to have housing here,” Chalker said. “I have to go the extra space,” Chalker said. not be an imperative to enroll- to the lobby or the library.” “[Tripling] wouldn’t be our first ment,” Donovan said. While many of the roommates’ choice, but we’d be OK with it.” The Belmont Vision, February 23, 2012 Page 3 Music majors need practice rooms By Kristin Hinkley to achieve this, practice rooms would have to either open at instruments such as marimbas will have to be dismantled Staff Writer 3 a.m. or close at 4 a.m. and taken up in the passenger eleavator. Practice makes perfect.

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