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8 • GCU MAGAZ I NE
Approximately 55 percent of GCU students live on campus in residence
halls and apartments. And, unlike many universities, many of them
remain campus residents through their senior year.
Matt Hopkins, director of Residence Life, attributes that trend to
GCU’s commitment to creating a cocoon — a safe, inviting place to live.
“We want to do more than just house them,” said Hopkins, who
oversees 31 resident directors and an army of student assistants. “We
need to care for them. We are building a community for all students,
whether they live here or off campus.”
Many of those students are from small towns themselves. Andrea
Tims arrived at GCU three years ago from her home in rural Minnesota
and immediately noticed stark differences.
The pre-med major had traded rolling Midwestern farmland for a
sun-drenched, desert campus nestled in Phoenix, the nation’s sixth
largest city, and had left behind a graduating high school class of eight.
Yet Tims felt right at home because both her town and her campus share
a fundamental trait.
“I know what a small town feels like, and GCU felt warm and
welcoming right away,” she said.
Some students need a little more time to get comfortable with being
away from home for the first time, but it usually doesn’t take long before
they’re spending all their time with their new family on campus — even
if they grew up nearby.
Brendan Kaiser, a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering, said
that as a freshman he often made the 20-minute drive home every other
weekend. This year, he didn’t go home until Thanksgiving weekend.
“I’ve built a new life,” he said, one that revolves around class,
his roommates, the pool, the library and the Havocs student cheering
section.
He now considers GCU his “town.” “There’s always people on the
PART 1:
Living here
“It’s a whole different world in the middle of Phoenix. It’s a
cool feeling, and the school does a great job of giving you that
feeling of belonging from the start.”
Tamara Boyer,
senior Christian Studies major
Students enjoy dining outside with their friends
along LopesWay in the middle of campus.