Texan Mosaic

By Dayley Mosley

Staff Writer

You just got accepted into South Plains College. The next thing you must decide is where you are going to live: at home, an apartment, or live in the residence halls at SPC.

It is no secret that college students want independence. After 18 years of living with parents, kids just want to be on their own. Living in a residence hall with other students isn’t the ideal scenario for independence, right?

Wait.  Not so fast.

Justice Sibole, coordinator of Residence Life, who has lived in residence halls for seven years, says that students in the residence halls still have full independence. “They may have a roommate but that is an individual that they can pick to live with or someone new and help them foster those friendships and become an independent person with a community,” Sibole says.

A key part of enjoying life on campus is getting involved. The SPC residence halls offer a wide variety of events. “We have a programmatic model that we utilize to help our students as well as a number of events that we put on each semester,” Sibole says. “From things as simple as cookie decorating all the way up to personality assessments and activities to develop that student further.”

Along with the Residence Life events, there is another office that strives to make life on campus fun. It’s called Student Life. Sibole calls both programs “powerhouses on campus.” He says both programs have budgets set aside to help students get involved.

Living on campus is a place to make lifelong friends. “Living in a building with close to 100 girls, you are bound to make friends,” says Hailee Brewer, a resident at the SPC residence halls for almost 2 years. Brewer says she is grateful for the many friendships she has made on campus.

Sibole agrees. “I made some of the biggest and best connections of my life there,” he says. “Two of my best friends actually came out of living with me my sophomore year and to this day we still talk and hangout.”

There is a diverse atmosphere in the SPC residence halls. According to the official SPC website, the residence halls house 774 students at capacity. These students can live in one of 12 facilities. The halls offer several amenities, including free laundry facilities, Wi-Fi access, and a central lobby in each hall.                                                                                                

Within the 12 different residence halls, each building has its own unique atmosphere. “Whether you are an engineering major or you’re an education major there’s something in each one of the halls for you,” Sibole says.

If you choose to live on campus, you could save a lot of money. Sibole says that instead of paying up to $2000 per month for an apartment, that is the amount you would pay for an entire semester at the SPC residence halls.  

Living on your own for the first time, however, can be tough. But SPC’s staff try to guide students in the right directions. “We do have students that fall through the cracks and not realize that these are the simple basic hygiene things or the simple things that I need to know how to do while living on my own,” Sibole says. “That’s where our residential curriculum comes in is to help address those things that students are struggling with.”

The residence halls are a place to learn outside of the classroom. You can learn important life skills and grow as a person. When you choose to live on campus, especially at South Plains College, you choose to open a door to opportunities and a community you might have never discovered.