Last year, Biola announced that there would be changes to housing and residence which garnered a variety of responses. Alpha Hall was one of the residence halls that changed the most with the arrival of the fall 2023 semester. 

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 

On Jan. 31, an email was sent out to undergraduates outlining the changes. The announcement informed recipients that the various updates were for the benefit of the entire community of Biola.

“We want to strengthen the opportunity for connectivity by restructuring the way we house students so that students live among peers who are closer to them in age and life stage,” said Sandy Hough, the Dean of Community Life and Title IX Coordinator in an email sent by the assistant housing manager, Priscilla Schubert.

Hough also mentioned that research from other universities showed that placing students into groups intentionally to build community ensures a dramatically higher chance of lifelong friendships being created and developed naturally.

The email from Hough continued, “We have decided to designate specific residence halls for first-year students and other residence halls for continuing students.” 

Part of this reconstruction transformed Alpha Hall into an all-freshman dormitory. In addition, the email noted that “in order to have sufficient housing for all class levels, Alpha Hall will become a co-ed dorm with Alpha East having male students and Alpha West having female students.” 

In addition, Sigma Hall and Hart Hall would also be reserved for solely freshmen residents alongside Alpha Hall. Continuing students had the option to pick between Horton Hall, Hope Hall and Stewart Hall for the next school year.

Blackstone, however, was the only dorm that was barely affected by the changes concerning housing and residence. “Blackstone will continue to be available to all students (incoming and continuing) and include our First-Gen floor,” the email stated. 

“We know this is an adjustment for our community as we move toward a new housing model,” Hough said. “The Housing and Residence Life team is available to process this with you and support you during the transition. We are hopeful this new model will improve your experience as a residential student and you will be more connected into long-lasting communities … We know this is a big adjustment and are available to walk with you through the changes, and are especially excited to still welcome you home next semester.” The email also listed times and spaces for questions.

ALPHA NOW

Although it is early in the school year, Alpha has become a bustling hub of freshmen socializing, watching movies or playing games in the main lounge. Sophomore English major Hannah Petinak was a resident in Alpha last year and returned this school year as a resident advisor for the dorm. She notices the shift in the atmosphere and energy as she remembers that Alpha was known for being “one of the chill dorms.” Petinak clarifies that Alpha has become more lively because of the freshmen trying to make friends and an increase in the number of residents. She pointed out that the floor where she is a resident advisor has nearly doubled in number compared to last year. 

The biggest difference, however, is the new male residents. For nearly 60 years, Alpha Hall originally was a female-only dorm. The two wings of the dorm, Alpha East and Alpha West, used to be filled with female residents and students were used to seeing those female residents entering and exiting the hall. 

“I really liked Alpha last year,” Petinak said, “It being all girls was one of its really strong points… I’ve never been a huge fan of change and I do kind of miss the all-female part of the dorm.”

The hallmark of Alpha Hall in past years was that it was a dormitory for female students only. With the recent changes, it no longer has that distinguishing characteristic.

Petinak also shared that she sometimes forgets that Alpha is now a co-ed dorm. “Sometimes when I’m sitting at the front desk and a guy walks in I’m like, ‘Who are you visiting?’” she said.

Male residents wheeling scooters or walking with their skateboards tucked under their arms are a common sight when walking into Alpha. Where the residence hall was formerly quiet with little to no resident activity at first glance, there is now a steady number of students going in and out of the main entrance or hanging out in the lounges.

The best part of the shift from an all-female to a co-ed dorm, apart from the increased activity and lively energy, is the opportunity for new connections.

“Last year I didn’t have a lot of friends who were guys, but this year I do,” Petinak said.

These new friends are mainly her fellow resident advisors including those in Alpha East where the male students live as well as the female freshmen residents on her floor. 

Petinak expressed gratitude for Alpha Hall’s resident director Maggie Dillon who handpicked the dorm’s team of ten resident advisors. Petinak said that she could not have asked for a better team of RAs, but specifically male RAs.

As a result of the many changes in Alpha Hall, the dorm is home to about 400 residents who keep the lounges busy with their liveliness and chatter as new, life-long friendships are formed.