Students walking through the central area of Kent State University’s Tri-Towers residence hall complex over the next few weeks will see some unusual additions to the usual furniture in the first-floor lounge. Lofted beds, wardrobes, office chairs and desks are accompanied by information boards and signs with QR codes inviting students to share their thoughts on the various furniture options on display.
These furnishings and the call for feedback about them are part of an initiative by University Housing to respond to the needs of students living on campus. Tiffany Reed, coordinator, facilities, University Housing spoke with Kent State Today. She said, “Students have changed in the last 20 years and that needs to be reflected in their living spaces. When the current room furniture was chosen, student living and studying habits were different. Preferences and needs are changing. We wanted to get as much student feedback as possible to ensure we make the correct decision moving forward.”
The university works to provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment for all students to allow them to thrive in all of the different living and learning spaces on campus.
Building on a Foundation of Quality and Utility
Kent State has had a long-standing relationship with Sauder, an Ohio-based company that has supplied the university’s furnishing needs for more than a decade. The company works to meet the changing needs and preferences of students in alignment with Kent State’s “Students First” commitment and university priorities for sustainability.
Reed said, “We feel the current footprint of residence hall furniture needs to be reduced; were looking for furnishings that will reduce the footprint while meeting a student’s need for functionality.”
She worked with representatives from Sauder to bring a variety of furniture options for students to examine and evaluate.
Capturing Opinions From Students
University Housing staff is excited to hear input from students and incorporate their feedback in the decisions they make. “Switching the furniture is a great opportunity to hear from students what’s most important to them in their home away from home,” Reed said.
Throughout the display in Tri-Towers, signs with QR codes let students scan the codes with their phones to give feedback on the beds, desks and wardrobes they are viewing.
Lindsey Bross, a first-year zoology major from Youngstown, and Lily Smith, a first-year interior design major, also from Youngstown, moved through the furniture and were impressed with the versatile functionality of the half-lofted beds and the spaciousness of the wardrobes. Another student passing through the assembly of furniture was impressed by the desk chairs that could convert to a rocker, or also, a sort of a low recliner.
Responding to Student Needs
University Housing presented a smaller display of new furniture to students attending Destination Kent State new student orientation sessions over the summer. From feedback received at those sessions, Tiffany Reed and Julia Keahey, video and digital marketing coordinator, University Housing and Culinary Services, adjusted the survey questions and added more furniture options. “Most importantly,” Keahey said, “We added a question for students to tell us what element they think is most important: aesthetics, storage, footprint or ease of moving.”
Other specifics Keahey has heard from students include a desire to half loft their beds, which elevates them to a raised position, without another bunk below, creating space for a desk or a small couch underneath. “The current room furniture does not safely support half lofting, so moving to a bed frame option that accommodates their request safely, while also keeping the option for students to bunk their beds, is a priority for housing,” she said. The beds on display at Tri-Towers are designed to be capable of half lofting or being configured as bunk beds.
Keeping Students First
“The students are the ones living in the spaces, so we want to hear from them directly as we invest in new furniture that will support the needs of students for years to come,” said Keahey.
Reed and Keahey invite all students to visit the display area, located in Tri-Towers, near the area desk, to view the new furniture options and share their opinions about them.
“We really want honest feedback,” Keahey said. “The good, the bad, the ugly – really anything students think is important. We want to hear everything that students feel is important so we, as University Housing, can work directly with Sauder to fulfill student feedback on their living spaces.”