Engineering Sophomores required to live in dorms

I have been wondering when the other shoe would drop on the coming SIUC student housing mess. SIUC has done little maintenance on any building on campus for the last 20 years. As their dorm and other student housing stock has been running down, the students don't want to stay there. As anyone who is watching knows, there is a coming crisis with on campus housing. I figure as the number of students dip, you will see SIUC require sophomores to stay on campus to fill up the dorms.

Where this does sound like a great program, it also helps solve the problem of filling those rooms. If this program works they can then require the sophomores into the dorms, because it will be good for them. ;)

From the article -

Nicklow said there would be approximately five students per mentor, and the mentor would attend at least one class per week with the students, along with providing tutoring and guidance.

I know Dr. Nicklow and he is a good guy. He is Interim Associate Dean and not Dean of course.

This seems like about the right number, 5 to 1. Watching the basic skills of SIUC students in the last few years, I have thought that SIUC should have a one semester boot camp for incoming freshman. Teach them how to study, take notes, write a research paper, the stuff students used to learn in high school. But this level of mentoring might work, if they can find that many "role models" who want that job.

Looks like the engineering students will be getting almost as much support as the kids in the athletic programs. It sure can't hurt and if it works maybe EE can stop doing open admission for their graduate program?

Should be interesting to see the results of this little experiment.