{"id":173339,"date":"2023-02-28T14:30:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T00:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=173339"},"modified":"2023-03-01T08:57:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T18:57:36","slug":"student-housing-improving-facilities-resident-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2023\/02\/28\/student-housing-improving-facilities-resident-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Housing improving facilities, resident experience"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Frear Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Student Housing Services<\/a> is in the beginning stages of implementing a comprehensive plan to upgrade facilities, streamline operations, provide additional resources for current and prospective student residents, and improve the overall student resident experience. The plan identifies near-, mid- and long-term objectives with work already underway on many initiatives, according to Student Housing Director Dean Shimomura<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“It will take many years to get our on-campus facilities to where we would like them to be, but I believe we\u2019ve identified a thoughtful and cost-effective approach that will have an immediate and positive impact on both current and future residents,” said Shimomura, who started in January 2022 and brings almost two decades of facilities management experience after overseeing facilities for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Department of Accounting and General Services. “Great challenges create great opportunities and I’m excited to lead a team that’s committed to improving the resident experience and the condition of our facilities.”<\/p>\n

A full assessment of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s 15 buildings that currently house about 3,100 student residents each semester is in progress and will be used to establish a comprehensive, long-term improvement plan. The assessment is taking a detailed look at existing facility conditions, the student resident experience, and student housing operations.<\/p>\n

Immediate impacts, upgrades<\/h2>\n
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Hale Aloha Towers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
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Johnson Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Student residents will begin to see upgrades in the spring 2023 semester as Student Housing Services works to meet short-term objectives. These include improvements to janitorial services and response times for repairs, window and building exterior cleaning, replacement of old and deteriorated flooring, cosmetic improvements such as fresh paint and minor repairs.<\/p>\n

Janitorial services will also be expanding to enhance the condition of shared-use areas. Ten new janitorial positions have been added and are now being filled to bring the full staff to 28 positions. Janitorial services will be better staffed on the weekends and holidays to better maintain facilities after an agreement was reached with the union, United Public Workers. Currently, the janitorial staff are only scheduled for weekdays and work overtime on weekends and holidays on a voluntary basis.<\/p>\n

The work order system for students to request repairs was revamped in 2022, and now 100% of all work orders are assigned, and students are notified within 24 hours of receipt of their submission. A large backlog was addressed when outstanding work orders were completed in 2022—staff completed 3,618 work orders between March 2022 and November 2022.<\/p>\n

In fall 2023, Student Housing Services will implement a data-driven, student resident feedback process to regularly measure student resident satisfaction and identify and address issues promptly.<\/p>\n

Improving student experience<\/h2>\n
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Gateway House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n
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Hale Laulima<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

An internal assessment was conducted during the fall 2022 semester to map out the resident experience and highlight the most significant touch points in the student housing journey. The assessment found a single negative experience can have a prolonged impact on the perceived quality and value of student housing, starting with the application process, which can be overwhelming for first-generation college students and individuals not familiar with local housing conditions among others. To assist students and their families in their housing search, additional information and resources are being developed for prospective student residents and their families ahead of the fall 2023 semester. These include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n