Campus Currents

New Director Enhances Student Life

A new title on a door in the Rental Properties office spells big changes for both the office and village students. The title is director of village student life, and the position is a new one, created with one goal: to improve the experience of village students.

Padraic “Paddy” McCoy is the name under the new title. McCoy graduated from Walla Walla College in 1999 with majors in religion and speech. He was most recently chaplain at Kettering College of Medical Arts in Ohio. “I’ve experienced other colleges and I came back to Walla Walla because not only do I believe in the college and the mission, but because I had such a great experience here,” says McCoy.

The Rental Properties office is now the Office of Village Student Life and Rental Properties. With the new name comes an expanded role. “It’s not just the maintenance anymore, it’s not just placing you in an apartment; it’s about your experience,” says McCoy. He wants to ensure that village students have a great experience. Life- changing. Like his was.

One of McCoy’s main goals is to dispel the feeling of disconnection that students sometimes experience after moving from the dorms into village housing.

“We want to build a bridge between the students and campus, so that they can have a stronger community, and they can be better prepared for life and the things they’ll have to do once they graduate,” says McCoy.

He hopes to begin workshops to help students with real world activities such as filing taxes, establishing a budget, and planning a wedding.

But perhaps most important, he wants village students to know that someone is there for them.

“They have someone to turn to with questions, concerns, and problems, and someone to be their advocate,” says McCoy.

 

A New Place to Call Home

“It feels like a community,” says Erin Jones, senior mass communication major, of the new Mountain View Apartments, “Because you’re still close to your neighbors, and you’re close enough to school that you still feel involved,” says Jones. She is one of 93 residents of the new apartment complex.

Located on Whitman Drive, the complex was built on the site of the Vets Apartments, former army barracks that housed married students until 1983. The four, three-story buildings are grouped around a central green, with space remaining for three future buildings. Units in the Mountain View Apartments rent for $600 a month, which will eventually cover the cost of the $3.8 million in construction and operations.

Opp & Siebold, a Walla Walla Valley building company, was the general contractor for the project. The construction project began in January 2003 and the apartments were completed in September, two weeks ahead of schedule. Students began moving into the completed buildings Sept. 12.

The 918-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment units are each equipped with a washer and dryer, dishwasher, and access to the college computer network. Ground-floor apartments have a patio, and apartments on the two upper floors have balconies. The buildings are equipped with ample bike racks for students who prefer to travel by bicycle. W

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