Residential Services is no more – by name anyway.

Heather Miller, associate director of Residential Services, said the department has changed its name to Housing and Residence Life in order to make it easier for students to understand the purpose of the office.

“People always called us housing anyway,” Miller said. “We felt it was a little more representative of what we actually did.”

Housing and Residence Life opened their doors at a celebration last Wednesday allowing students to meet staff members and learn about new developments within the department, Miller said.

“It makes people more comfortable to ask you questions later and putting faces with names,” Miller said.

Craig Allen, director of Housing and Residence Life, said he felt better name recognition was an important step toward decreasing the number of students who were confused about which office to call when they had housing questions.

“Residential Services didn’t always resonate with them,” Allen said. “A lot of times they just didn’t realize that Residential Services was who would help them with their meal plan, or their room assignment.”

Holding the celebration at the department’s offices was also important because it familiarized students with the location of Housing and Residence Life, in the basement of Samuelson Hall, Allen said.

Although students were aware of the services provided by their resident assistant and hall director, students have not been aware of all of the services Housing and Residence Life provided and they needed to know where to come for those services, Allen said.

The event also provided students a sneak peek of the newly renovated Milton Daniel Hall. Allen showed the students blueprints and sketches of what the dorm would look like when renovations were completed.

The sketches included an amphitheater outside Milton Daniel, the return of the sand volleyball courts and a “Harry Potter-style great hall,” Allen said.

Madi Reid, a freshman communication studies major who was at the event, said she was especially interested to see the preview of Milton Daniel.

“I live in Moncreif right now and I was excited about seeing what all the construction would end up looking like,” Reid said.

Although the name has changed, Allen said, Housing and Residence Life has not changed its goal of providing excellent housing facilities and programs for students.

“We’re more than just the building,” he said.