{"id":5644,"date":"2016-09-16T08:59:59","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T13:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=5644"},"modified":"2016-10-13T13:44:11","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T18:44:11","slug":"community-collaborates-house-sau-enrollment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2016\/community-collaborates-house-sau-enrollment\/","title":{"rendered":"Community collaborates to house SAU enrollment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sau-housing-uses-local-hotels-fall16-img_0564\"<\/a>Breakfasts that are \u201cthe bomb\u201d and \u201camazing\u201d beds are two of the most popular aspects to living in area hotels hosting Southern Arkansas University students until Magnolia Hall opens in October.<\/p>\n

About 100 upperclassman residents and resident assistants are staying at the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia. Record enrollment prompted the University to not only reserve 35 rooms at the Holiday Inn and 10 rooms at the Hampton, but use them, said Jennifer Rowsam, the residence hall director of Magnolia Hall.<\/p>\n

The fastest growing university in the state last fall has recorded its fourth straight year of record-setting enrollments as SAU\u2019s 11th\u00a0class day numbers reported to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education included a 15.3-percent overall increase in students from a year ago.\u00a0University Housing numbers were at 1,764, more than 150 over last fall\u2019s record. Though Magnolia Hall\u2019s sister, Columbia Hall, opened in time for the freshman Residential and Leadership Hall students, work is still needed to complete Magnolia.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The SAU students and RAs living in the hotels were quick to point out the features they enjoy most, including the cookies at the Hampton Inn and the indoor pool at the Holiday Inn Express.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beds are amazing. I have slept so well since we started staying at the hotel, and breakfast is the bomb,\u201d said Magnolia Hall RA Kelsie Collatt, sophomore marketing major from Redwater, Texas. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be great when the new res\u2019 hall opens, but I\u2019m going to miss the beds at Hampton Inn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part is the cleaning lady wakes me up, tells me good morning and asks me if I want my bed made,\u201d said RA Christian Greer, sophomore chemistry: pre-health major from Pearcy, Ark., who\u2019s been staying with residents at the Magnolia Holiday Inn Express. \u201cThe staff could not be any more hospitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The residents are also making a good impression on hotel staffs.<\/p>\n

\"sau-housing-uses-local-hotels-fall16-img_0561\"<\/a>\u201cIt is a win-win,\u201d said Aerriel Collins, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express, where about 70 residents and RAs are living. \u201cAs a graduate of SAU, I\u2019m grateful to have this chance to give something back to the University. We haven\u2019t had any hiccups. A few parents have said they wouldn\u2019t mind staying here, too!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely happy to have the students here,\u201d Collins said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done everything we can to help them get adjusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha Roberson, general manager of the Hampton Inn, echoed that sentiment. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t know they were here, we wouldn\u2019t know they were here,\u201d she said of the SAU students, with a laugh. \u201cThey are very good and respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both hotel managers said they are providing late breakfasts for the students on weekends. \u201cThey may prefer to sleep in,\u201d Roberson said. Collins said the Holiday Inn provides breakfast until noon and upped its WiFi services to meet Internet needs. Prior to the move-in, the Hampton Inn also provided goody bags containing pens, koozies, and coupons to local businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to make them feel at home,\u201d Roberson said. \u201cWe are really proud of how amazing SAU is \u2013 it is hands down the heart of Magnolia! We love the opportunity to serve in any way, and we\u2019re glad to partner with SAU anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowsam, who also serves as associate dean for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, said every effort has been made to ensure the residents feel as if they are living on campus. Meal plans are still in effect and roommates have been kept together. Quiet hours are also the same at the hotels as at the residence halls.<\/p>\n

She said the residents were notified of the arrangement early in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gave all of them a phone call or text to let them know,\u201d Rowsam said. \u201cMany of them had already heard through word of mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had to arrange for some of them to store their things elsewhere while they\u2019re staying in the hotels,\u201d she said. \u201cOtherwise, it\u2019s as if they were in the residence hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shuttle service provided by the University also keeps students connected. \u201cMost of them have their own cars, but certainly they are welcome to use the shuttle if they want,\u201d Rowsam said. \u201cThe service runs until late at night to accommodate classes, eating schedules, even late rehearsals. We\u2019re trying to meet every need.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Breakfasts that are \u201cthe bomb\u201d and \u201camazing\u201d beds are two of the most popular aspects to living in area hotels hosting Southern Arkansas University students until Magnolia Hall opens in October. About 100 upperclassman residents and resident assistants are staying at the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia. Record enrollment prompted the University… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":5647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[94,276,32641,7753,143],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5644","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-admissions","8":"category-community-corner","9":"category-featured-layout","10":"category-homepage","11":"category-student-life","12":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}