When the Residence Hall first opened its doors to residents during the Summer B semester, the board of trustees at Daytona State made sure to use this test run to its full advantage.
After opening its doors to 252 residents on August 26th, college life at Daytona State has been livelier than ever. A student life worker, Isabel Rios, commented “[The student center] wasn’t this busy last year. Past two, I would rarely see students hanging out in the area. It’s different now.”
At the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester, the maintenance department had their work cut out for them. During the first week, not only were students submitting work order forms to have their beds raised, but many reported inconsistencies and defects in their dorms.
One student reported that his bathroom door was nearly off the wall, and it took maintenance two weeks to address the issue. It’s unclear whether the delay was attributed to understaffing or other external factors. The team eventually got to the door, and it hasn’t shown issues since.
Infrastructure issues aside, the Residence Hall does give the college, specifically Student Life, flexibility to host more campus events outside of the usual 11:00 am-1:00 pm window. Student residents have been frequenting the events, raising the overall turnout.
Metz Culinary, which is the main food service at Daytona State, has increased its staff size to better accommodate the influx of residents, many of whom are athletes with varied diets. The dining hall is limited in options, however. For most dinners and lunches, there are little to no options for halal and kosher diets. Metz seems to be improving on this front, as recently they have added turkey bacon and turkey sausage to their breakfast protein options.
Giovanna Meade, an athlete living in the dormitory, praised the dining hall. Meade said, “We come here nearly all the time. It’s easy to sit down anywhere and complete your schoolwork while eating or socializing.” Meade also added, “It’s spread out neatly, and it never feels too packed or noisy.”
Shakyra Carson, the new Resident Life Coordinator at Daytona State, recently picked up the job for the Fall semester. As the previous Student Life Coordinator, Carson has the experience necessary to manage a team and organize events.
Carson notes that living alongside students is different, as she used to be a student herself. She said, “Now that I’m living here, being back on campus and living on campus is a new thing for me,” she continued, “Luckily, I haven’t had to fill up my car in about three weeks now, and I’m still on half a tank, so that’s pretty cool.”
For more information about the residence hall, or even to take a virtual tour, you can visit the website here.
Photographer: Natalie Gonzalez
Will Martinez
Staff writer