University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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MAPLE HILL OPENING MET WITH MIXED REVIEWS FROM STUDENTS. BY LE ANN A PAYTON Jt Student life

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tiLf ' a-ifc ' .. ' mg WmM, msm mmm mmSm faj .)tvvSi k S Students and community members got a rare treat August 21, 2007 when presidential candidate Hillary Clin ton stopped in Fayetteville during her campaign trail through Arkansas. The New York senator was on her way to Little Rock to visit Gov. Mike Beebe. Clinton, who was surrounded very closely by bodyguards, was greeted by excited supporters at Gloria Jean ' s coffee shop on Dickson Street. I heard that she was coming, senior Drew Jones said, but I couldn ' t believe it until I saw it. Jones, a political science major, said that he looked up to both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Bill is such a great leader and Hillary has an awesome personality, Jones said. While at Gloria Jean ' s, a cheerful Clinton tried some Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Because Clinton arrived in Fayetteville about 45 minutes later than scheduled, the stage and public address system set up outside of the coffee shop had to be taken apart. Itwas unfortunate not to hear herspeak, but she made up for it, Jones said. Clinton uplifted the disappointed crowd ' s spirits by shaking hands, chatting with bystanders and staying for photo opportunities. After mingling with supporters, she boarded her black Suburban and waved to the crowd as she departed for Little Rock. The senator was greeted by Gov. Beebe, who publicly endorsed Clinton as a candidate for the 2008 presidential election. In turn, Clinton complimented Beebe and the accomplishments he made in his first months as governor of Arkansas. She noted while in office, Beebe had successfully cut the state grocery tax in half, created new jobs in the state by new economic development projects, expanded preschool programs in Arkansas and fought for improvements for children ' s health insurance, according to the Clinton campaign press release. It is really cool that Clinton and Beebe get along well, Jones said. With the support of the state of Arkansas, she is a sure winner. HILLARY VISITS FAYETTEVILLE

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With the addition of a new residence hall, housing brought some controversy to the UA. Maple Hill consisted of two buildings that housed about 600 freshmen and less than 100 sophomores. Preston Stewart, a senior biochemistry major and resident assistant at Maple Hill, said students loved the new dorm and that the accommodations were great. Although Maple Hill looked attractive at first glance, some students had problems with the requirements for living in the new residence hall. Students had to attend two faculty associates activities each semester, which gave students the chance to spend time with a faculty member involved in their topic of interest. Students also had to participate in one community service project each semester and each student had to be involved in at least one registered student organization. The freshmen were required to attend Razorback Outreach for Community and Knowledge Camp, which is an extended orientation program for first year students. There, the students were introduced to StrengthsQuest and continued to use it in their First Year Seminar class, an eight-week course that focused on money management, the differences in high school and college, and campus resources. Sophomores living in Maple Hill had to participate in Professional Development Institute, a program designed to help with career development and enhance student professionalism. With this curriculum came conflict. Holly Day, a freshman nursing major, said she liked her room and her roommate, but not all the required extracurricular activities. I ' m still mad about R.O.C.K. Camp. It was a waste of $250 because we didn ' t do anything, Day said. A freshman mechanical engineering major, Michael Kreul, had the same feelings as Day. Kreul felt stressed at times because he was told he had to make an 80 percent in the freshman seminar to stay in Maple Hill. So either do good in the class or get kicked out of my dorm, Kreul said. Freshman agricultural business major, Ashley Brown, said she met one of her best friends at R.O.C.K. camp and that she enjoyed her time at Maple Hill. The stuff I had to do was worth it because I got to live in such a nice place, Brown said. The class helped me learn more about campus resources and it was only eight weeks and I got to live in Maple Hill all year. ABOVE: Maple Hill, the new¬ est residence hall on campus, opened in the fall of 2007. About 700 freshmen and sophomores lived in the facil¬ ity. LEFT: A student tries to park his bike in the construction zone. Even though students were living in Maple Hill, con¬ struction on the new facilities continued through the fall and spring semesters as current buildings were completed and new buildings were put up. PHOTOS: HELEN CHASE MAPLE HILL JJ