a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
september 9, 2013 issue 1 ~ volume 99
Photo by Logan Miller / Graphic by Jill Graves
Despite the inconveniences of living miles away from campus, many students enjoy the many amenities offered by the Aloft Hotel, which include up to two televisions per room, queen-size beds and a private bathroom. Located at the old city hall building downtown across the street from the BOK Center, the recently opened Aloft Hotel will dedicate a four-floor region to housing TU students without rooms on campus.
There’s plenty of room at the Hotel Oklahoma In an attempt to deal with the increasing influx of new students, TU housed eighty students at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Tulsa at the beginning of the semester. Walker Womack Staff Writer
Morgan Krueger Student Writer
Witt Womack Staff Writer
T
his could be heaven or this could be hell. This semester roughly eighty students found themselves in a strange predicament: living in a luxury hotel, but inconvenienced by a forced commute.
In a statement by Melissa H. France, the university’s Associate Vice President for Enrollment, she specified, “The demand for a TU education is at an all-time high, and the growth has outpaced our plans for additional on-campus housing.” In light of these concerns, it is no wonder that the administration and housing staff has sought to ease cramped conditions with alternates to the traditional dormitory. Enter the Aloft Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Tulsa, a living space carved out of Tulsa’s former city hall building. The hotel, which opened for business just this past summer, initially housed eighty TU students. Although the chic, mod interior design is a far cry from anything
one would see on campus, a student’s experience at the Aloft Hotel is not dissimilar from that of residence halls on campus. For example, RAs assist the allfreshman population and even offer the familiar peanut butter and jelly sandwich buffet “Jam-It-Up” each Sunday. Jam-It-Up provides not just a snack, but also an opportunity to socialize. “For instance, just this last week,” mentioned Aloft resident Rickey Dixon, “there was a pick-up game of Super Smash Brothers.” Students are also provided with a study lounge within the hotel for their use only. Despite such accommodations, students living at the hotel mentioned that resident life and student-to-student interaction feels
more limited than in dormitories on campus. Establishing communication, for example, can be tedious. One freshman, Denton Lewis, observed that, “there are hardly any students (at the hotel), and it’s hard to tell sometimes whether someone is a student or a hotel guest.” Dixon mentioned that students were mainly confined over a fourlevel section and that the social scene has been limited. For most people, hotel living did have one significant advantage: the quality of facilities. France’s statement further addressed the choice of this particular hotel: “This high-end facility was the best option for our students when considering the proximity to campus and the amenities we desire to provide for the hous-
ing experience.” France’s statements are not simply an attempt to gild what is not gold. Students enjoy complimentary flat screen televisions (some rooms have two), therapeutic mattresses on queen size beds, room sizes that dwarf those of John Mabee or Fisher South, private restrooms, weekly housekeeping, a window view of downtown Tulsa and, of course, the essential minifridge. Computers are provided in a business center of the type common to hotels, with a quota of five free pages printing before payment is required. A small fitness center, an eatery and heated pools are also available, although the pools are small and only four feet deep.
See Hotel page 5
Community Service Work Study Would you like to work in a rewarding atmosphere? Do you qualify for Federal Work Study? You can use your work study at a non-profit agency or school, get paid $9 an hour and change a life! Reading Partners Reading can change a child’s life! Become a True Blue Neighbors Reading Partner at Kendall-Whittier Elementary, commit to 1 hour a week and a 45 minute training session and you can be the catalyst to launch a child’s education to a higher level. True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center The True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center connects TU’s staff, faculty, and students to the community around us. Mentor, tutor, assist a teacher, monitor a playground or cafeteria, work in a Food Bank. We partner with over 75 agencies in and around the Tulsa area, so wherever your interests are we can find a place for you volunteer your time. For additional information on volunteer opportunities, contact Kathy Shelton in the True Blue Neighbor Volunteer Center at kathy-shelton@utulsa.edu or call 918-631-3535.