Upperclassmen dorm houses 48 first-years due to over-enrollment

Built in 2020, the Singleton, Hitch and Maida dorms were designed to provide on-campus housing for upperclassmen. 

That changed this year when Lehigh over-enrolled students in the class of 2030, pushing 48 first-year students to live in Singleton dorms, according to Michaela Criswell, associate director for Housing Services. 

First-years typically live in Lower and Upper Centennial, The Quad or Taylor. For students placed in Singleton, the arrangement means more independence, a longer walk to some classes and residence alongside upperclassmen. 

The university’s plan to put first-years in Singleton was not shared with Gryphons until they had already accepted their role and came back to school for Gryphon orientation, including Jacob ten Bosch, ‘27, a Gryphon in Singleton.

“I didn’t find out that I would be having first-years on my floor until I got back for training, which was a week and a half before the first day of classes,” ten Bosch said. 

Ten Bosch’s floor has a split of first-years and upperclassmen, with 14 first-years and 13 upperclassmen. 

As the school year has just begun, both Gryphons and first-years are still adjusting. 

A large part of a Gryphon’s role occurs during the first few weeks of school, when they help students acclimate to their residence halls, and especially for first-years, the college environment itself. 

During orientation week, ten Bosch led three floor meetings, two for first-years and one for upperclassmen.

“I felt it was more chaotic, especially considering I didn’t really know I was going to have first-years,” ten Bosch said. 

He added that there wasn’t specific training for having both first-years and sophomores.

Iman Sajjad, ‘27, a Gryphon in Singleton, has a floor of solely first-years.

Sajjad has a smaller floor, housing 11 first-year students. 

Similar to ten Bosch, Sajjad received an email before coming for Gryphon orientation sharing that there would be both first-years and upperclassmen. 

However, she wasn’t specifically told what her floor would consist of until she arrived on campus.

Thus far, Sajjad believes that her first-years are enjoying Singleton. 

Compared to the older typical first-year dorms, Singleton offers a more modern style and different amenities. 

Sajjad shared that during the move-in process, many first-years’ parents couldn’t believe their children were living in an updated building their first year. 

Keith Muldowney, ‘30, a first-year living in Singleton, said the Hitch gym attached to Singleton and the phone-swiping feature for entering the dorm are some of the benefits. 

“I feel like all freshmen coming into college are making adjustments,” Muldowney said. “I think if anything, Singleton was less of an adjustment because you still had your own bathroom.”

Although Muldowney does not have previous college housing experience to compare Singleton to, he said living in Singleton may hinder opportunities for first-year students to bond with one another. 

He said he thinks that the typical first-year dorms may be more active at night, even with students just wandering the halls and conversing with one another.

From a Gryphon perspective, ten Bosch said Singleton’s independent-style living may benefit first-years.

While there may not be as much typical first-year bonding in Singleton, there are still potential benefits to communal living between first-years and upperclassmen. 

“I think it could be a really beneficial opportunity for first-years by being in a more mature setting and with students that are older so that way they can ask questions and see what their experiences are like,” Sajjad said. 

However, ten Bosch said he has not seen much interaction or intermingling between his first-years and upperclassmen on his floor.

“It almost feels like I have two floors of 14 residents each,” ten Bosch said.

Ten Bosch compared the experience to his time as a Gryphon in McClintic-Marshall last year, when the first-years on his floor still got to know one another despite not being close friends.

This year, so far, he has noticed that first-year residents tend to stick with one another, and the same goes for upperclassmen. 

Although the arrangement could encourage interaction between first-years and upperclassmen, ten Bosch said there are few structured opportunities for that interaction.

As larger campus events bring students together, Sajjad said they may also present new challenges for residence halls. She said as Le-Laf and other large campus events occur, the heightened excitement on campus is also typically accompanied by more problems in the residence halls. 

Sajjad said she thinks that it will be telling to see how these events unfold, especially with the co-living of first-years who are likely experiencing it for the first time, and upperclassmen who likely aren’t. 

These students who are the first to experience Singleton as a first-year, may pave the way for this to become a normalized part of campus life. 

“I know for a lot of us, we didn’t live in the best place first year, and it’s kind of a rite of passage to work your way up,” Sajjad said. “Being able to live here (in Singleton) your first year is a huge privilege.”