Due to the increasing amount of students on campus, residence life is being forced to be creative in finding appropriate on-campus housing for students. The newest addition will be dorms in the P.O boxes in Buntrock Commons.
To maximize space, these new rooms will still be used as P.O. boxes and will be assigned roommates based on last names. After piloting this with the first-year class, this change will be implemented in years to come.
“It was uncomfortable at first. It’s not very large and P.O. stuffers are constant and really annoying,” Katherine Lewis ’23 said.
Keeping in line with the St. Olaf community-focused culture, the P.O. boxes will remain unlocked.
Tour guides pass through and comment on how trusting Oles are of each other, citing the P.O. rooms as evidence.
“Here at St. Olaf we maintain a closeknit and trusting culture. All of these P.O. rooms are left unlocked, demonstrating how Oles really support Oles,” can be overheard on Saturday mornings as tour guides show prospective students their future dorms.
Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life, Pamela McDowell believes this change will impact students positively and sees it being popular for room draw.
“The location is ideal. You are located in Buntrock Commons, you don’t have to go outside to get to the dining hall. Plus, you never have to check your P.O. box, as it gets delivered right to your room,” McDowell said.
As for privacy and bathrooms, McDowell is still trying to figure that out.
