Paton College
Encyclopedia
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
campus, Paton College and nearby Burton's Pond Apartments are residences operated by the university's department of Housing, Food and Conference Services. Paton College offers traditional dormitory style housing while Burton's Pond is apartment style housing. Paton College and Burton's Pond provides accommodations for students who are attending either Memorial University
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
, the Marine Institute
Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland
The Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, popularly referred to as the Marine Institute or simply Marine, is a post-secondary ocean and marine polytechnic located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
, or the College of the North Atlantic
College of the North Atlantic
College of the North Atlantic is the public college of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The enabling legislation is theCollege Act....
(Prince Phillip Drive Campus).
History
Construction of Paton College began in 1962, with most of the nine residences being completed by 1968. The college is named after John Lewis Paton, who was the first President of Memorial University College from 1926-1933. The nine original Houses of Paton College were named in honor of various benefactors of Memorial University College and Memorial University, in particular Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount RothermereVere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
Vere Harold Esmond Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere became the 3rd Viscount Rothermere in 1978, having been widely known as Vere Harmsworth. He controlled large media interests in the United Kingdom and United States...
and Sir Eric Vanisttart Bowater. Coughlan College, a single dormitory building originally operated as one of four denominational residences, became a part of Paton College in the mid-1990s. A modified Paton family crest was bestowed upon the College and serves as its official crest to this day.
Burton's Pond was built in the mid-1970s and is named after the pond adjacent to the apartments, which existed before the university was built. The five Courts and Corte Real (the services building) are named after notable early explorers of North America, all of whom have connections to Newfoundland; Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
, Giovanni Caboto, Humphrey Gilbert
Humphrey Gilbert
Sir Humphrey Gilbert of Devon in England was a half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh. Adventurer, explorer, member of parliament, and soldier, he served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and was a pioneer of English colonization in North America and the Plantations of Ireland.-Early life:Gilbert...
, John Guy, George Calvert (1st Baron Baltimore), and Gaspar Corte-Real
Gaspar Corte-Real
Gaspar Corte-Real was a Portuguese explorer.He was the youngest of three sons of João Vaz Corte-Real, also a Portuguese explorer, and had accompanied his father on his expeditions to North America...
.
Paton College residences
The ten Paton College dormitories are referred to as the "Houses". They include:- Barnes House
- Blackall House
- Bowater House
- Burke House
- Coughlan House
- Curtis House
- Doyle House
- Hatcher House
- Rothermere House
- Squires House
Each residence accommodates approximately 100 students. Prior to 1992, all the Paton College residences were single sex. In 2005, the sole remaining male house (Doyle) was turned co-ed. In 2008, Squires House converted from an all-female house to coed. This left Blackall House the only remaining all-female house until January 2010, when it finished its renovations and was converted into a co-ed house.
Coughlan House is the only residence that resides across the road from the other residences. Historically, it was not a part of Paton College; it was grouped with a separate collection of colleges with Feild and Spencer. However, currently it stands as a tenth house on par with the original nine. The residents often cheer on their house by proclaiming "ATR" which stands for Across the Road. They are also the only residence aside from the Burton's Pond Courts without access to the tunnel system (aka MUNnels).
Each dormitory consists of both double and single occupancy bedrooms, and shared bathroom facilities on each floor. Each residence has a TV room, laundry room, study room, computer room, lobby, and a trunk room for storage. Meals are provided at the main dining hall; the Raymond Gushue
Raymond Gushue
Raymond Gushue, was a Canadian lawyer and academic administrator. He was the President and Vice-Chancellor of the Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1952 to 1966....
Hall.
All residents of Paton College must purchase a meal plan. Each student can choose from either a 10, 14, or 19 meal plan.
Burton's Pond residences
Built in the mid-1970s, the Burton's Pond apartments consist of four courts, each housing 125 students in four bedroom apartments, and one family court (Baltimore). A lounge, study room, computer lab, laundry room, and mail room is located in Corte Real.The five Burton's Pond Courts are:
- Baltimore Court
- Cabot Court
- Cartier Court
- Guy Court
- Gilbert Court
Future residences
The growth of Memorial University over the past decade has resulted in far more applications for on campus accommodations than the university can provide. In 2007, the government of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
provided funding for a new residential complex, set to open in 2010. The new complex will provide accommodations for approximately 300 residents and will be located on the south-east end of the St. John's campus, adjacent to Paton College and Burton's Pond. Excavation of the site for the new building began in June, 2008. Delays in construction have resulted in the opening of the new "Super Res" to be delayed to September 2012.
Residence Life
The Residence LifeResidence Life
Residence Life is the terminology used to describe the comprehensive program that surrounds the experience of living "on-campus" in a residence hall at a college or university in Canada and the United States...
Office at Memorial University is a unit within the department of Housing, Food and Conference Services. As part of the university's division of Student Affairs and Services, the Residence Life Office provides guidance, support, and programming to assist students in their transition from life at home to life at school and their personal and social development. The Residence Life Office at Memorial is staffed by a number of full-time professionals, including the Manager of Residence Life, the Supervisor of Residence Life, and two Residence Life Officers, who live on campus.
Residence Life professionals supervise a large team of part-time and student residence life staff. Each residence has one Residence Coordinator, who is the university's part-time, live-in supervisor for their residence. The RC is responsible for identifying and addressing resident needs and issues, and for supervising the student staff (RAs and AA), as well as performing various administrative duties such as room assignments and discipline. Resident concerns or issues that cannot be addressed by the student staff are referred to the Residence Coordinator.
Each of the Paton College dormitories also has four RAs, or Resident Assistant
Resident assistant
A resident assistant , commonly shortened to RA is a trained peer leader who supervises those living in a residence hall or group housing facility...
, who live on each floor of the House. The RAs are responsible for addressing the needs and concerns of the residents and for ensuring that the residents abide by the rules and regulations.
Each residence also has an Academic Assistant (AA) who is responsible for providing academic support for the residents. The AA promotes positive academic behavior through direct statement and example, and are responsible for supervising the student tutors (who are provided free of charge to the residents). The AA also provides academic guidance and programming throughout each semester. The Academic Assistant is an excellent source of knowledge about Memorial University's
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
academic programs, regulations, and resources available on campus.
Residence Society Executive
Each residence at Memorial University of NewfoundlandMemorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...
is recognized as a student society by the university administration and undergraduate students' union (MUNSU). At the end of each winter semester, the residents elected a residence society executive for the following academic year (September - April). The residence society executive consists of a president, vice-president, treasurer, and social chair. The executive promote residence spirit by organizing various residence events and leading their residence in campus competitions, including the Fall Orientation, Intramural sports, and Winter Carnival. The residence society executive are also the representatives of their society when meeting with the university administration and the students' union.