Students should expect to see big changes when signing up for next year’s residential living options. These adjustments revolve around new class-clustered living arrangements, South Campus’s opening, and Roberts Hall’s renovation.

First and second-year students will continue to live in traditional-style residential communities. The South Campus apartments are only available as an independent living option for third- and fourth-year students.

While residential overlap occurs for upper-class students, first-years will only live in residential communities with members of their own class. The idea behind these “clusters” is to bring students within the same class year together in communities.

“This new model will strengthen the Bucknell community and provide students with programming that contributes to each class year’s particular developmental and social needs and interests,” according to the University’s website.

These modifications come in concordance with the shift from downtown living to on-campus living. The total number of students allowed to live off-campus will be reduced from 500 to 200, and only seniors will be eligible to live off campus.

While seniors have priority over South Campus apartments, it is difficult to determine whether most student interest will come from third-year or fourth-year students. The Gateways have been the most popular choice for upper-class students in the past.

“I definitely think we will see more parties on campus, and the best places for this are the gateways and the mods … It will be interesting to see whether [South Campus Apartments] will fill up before these,” Residential Advisor Tyler Bogaczyk ’15 said.

The University is considering ways to appropriately expand the transportation options to accommodate future South Campus residents.

“Future South Campus students are in a great location for the academic buildings. I would hope that factor is the controlling agent behind their decision,” Chief of Public Safety Steve Barilar said.

Students are currently voting on the four South Campus lounge area’s themes. Furniture and other items for each of the four lounges will be purchased according to the winning themes.

Kellen Peter ’16 is hoping to live in one of the new South Campus apartments.

“The building pictures look so beautiful … I think it would be really nice to live in such new, pristine dorms,” Peter said.

Police habits are not expected to change with South Campus’s opening.

“We don’t have a lot of issues with upperclassman … Usually the senior class is not a problem for us,” Barilar said.

The University and Public Safety are still investigating the best way to accommodate parking behind South Campus.

“Parking is limited, so we have to further look into this before next fall,” Barilar said.

The remodeling of Roberts Hall, which opened its doors in 1937, will be available for fall 2015 student selection. It will be closed for renovations in the spring and summer of 2016. It will reopen its doors in fall 2016. All rooms will be completely renovated in concordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The building will include an elevator, air conditioning, and programming social spaces. Designs are still in preliminary stages, Associate Dean of Students Amy Badal said.

“It’s time for [Roberts] to be remodeled,” Alex Moore ’15 said. Moore lived in Roberts during his second and third year.

These changes are based upon the Committee for the Strengthening of Our Residential Community’s report that was written as part of the response to the Campus Climate report.

“The University should offer housing styles that correspond to students’ developmental needs and interests,” the report said.