Bricks, Mortar, and So Much More
Looking for a sign of USM’s future? There’s a gleaming one on the hill just off University Way on the Gorham campus. It’s New Hall, a four-floor, 296-bed dormitory facing the Paula Hodgdon Athletic Field at the heart of campus. New Hall is USM’s latest “green building,” designed and built with an eye toward energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. It is also the first green dorm on the Gorham campus, and it is changing how students live and learn.
“From a residence life perspective, New Hall supports the University’s goal to be known as a regionally competitive university,” says Residence Life Director Denise Nelson. “It upgrades our stock. It’s a beautiful building that we show incoming students, and it’s a very good recruitment and retention tool.”
New Hall is home to a small but growing Sustainable Living Community, a living-and-learning program that brings workshops, discussion groups, and other activities with a focus on environmental issues into the dormitory conference rooms.
A Greener Option
When New Hall opened for the fall 2007 semester, it became the seventh dorm on the Gorham campus, and first new one since Philippi Hall opened in 2001. It is a short distance from Bailey Hall, the John C. Mitchell Center, and the athletic facilities. Rooms are set up for apartment and suite-style living. They are fully furnished, have their own private bathrooms, and feature amenities such as air conditioning, full refrigerators or micro-fridges, cable access and high-speed Internet access.
Wireless Internet access is available in the common areas. Students can relax in the study lounges or play ping pong or pool in the recreation room. Lighting and temperature in these areas can be controlled from the front desk, and students can check the availability of washers and dryers via an Internet link.
It’s more expensive to live in New Hall but worth it, says Danielle Webster, a senior from Whiting, N.J., majoring in criminology and psychology. She’s also a resident assistant for the Sustainable Living Community. “For me, the environmental aspects of the building outweigh the increased cost,” she says. “It is kind of like asking someone why they buy organic when it can be more expensive. It’s a lifestyle thing.”
Nelson said the newer buildings on both USM campuses meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. That means their design, systems, and construction adhere to specific environmental and energy efficiency requirements. Other green buildings at USM include the Mitchell Center and Center for Child Development in Gorham, and the Abromson Community Education Center, Glickman Library, and Wishcamper Center in Portland. Older buildings on both campuses have been made more energy efficient as well, through measures including added insulation, window replacement, and the like.
Creating Community
Nelson says the new dorm helps the University face two key concerns, addressing the challenge of overcrowding, and supporting enrollment objectives. In New Hall, current and prospective students find the scope of options they seek in housing, access to which is a significant factor in both students’ selection of a college, and their choice to stay in school.
The Sustainable Living Community is one of a number of living-and-learning communities on campus. The communities are comprised of club-like activities, such as workshops, panel discussions, and study groups based in the dorm conference rooms. More established communities on campus cater to the interests of honors students, artists, and those studying health and fitness.
“Living-learning communities marry what we try to do in residence halls with what faculty are trying to do in the classroom,” Nelson says. “It’s one of the value-added aspects of living on campus.
“The idea is, ‘Here’s what you can learn if you want to prepare yourself for life after graduation.’ That’s part of what we offer in any dorm experience, but it’s more intentional in the learning communities.”
The Sustainable Living Community offers members and other residents access to activities and programs centered on environmental issues.
Julie Ziffer, assistant professor of physics, is the faculty advisor for the community. Ziffer calls environmental sustainability a personal imperative. By living in New Hall, she and her family live in an apartment that is energy efficient, and she enjoys a role of helping students find ways to adapt their lifestyles to fit their ideals.
“Living here is an opportunity to teach by example,” Ziffer says. “It makes a difference for students to see what I try to do right and what I don’t do right. It’s important to see that no one is perfect.”
Students know, she says, that she takes the campus shuttle to Portland and back as often as possible. “You can look at sustainability as a matter dealing with SUVs and big oil companies,” she says. “And to an extent it is. But it’s also a matter of making changes within our own lives.”
Sandy Gilbreath, a sophomore from South Portland, agrees.
An environmental planning and policy major, Gilbreath, 20, chose the dorm because it was new, she thought it would be an interesting place to live. She joined the Sustainable Living Community for the chance to network with like-minded students.
“It’s a great way to get involved with things you’re interested in,” Gilbreath says. “I can go to a lecture in the dorm one night and bring that knowledge to class the next day. Or I can take a lesson from class and discuss it in a group meeting at night.”
Gilbreath says she likes the idea of helping build the community.
“It’s kind of cool in that way,” she says. “There are a lot of different groups on campus concerned with sustainability issues. It’s great to connect with those different groups and promote each other’s activities. All of it promotes awareness of sustainability, which is the point. It’s great to be a part of something like that.”
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