UWM's Riverview residence hall

With all it has to offer, it’s no surprise that Riverwest has been attracting young professionals, families and students to the neighborhood. With RiverView Residence Hall, the new UWM dorm coming soon to Riverwest, there will soon be an influx of college freshmen. Located just west of the river on North Avenue, RiverView will house 488 incoming freshmen and sophomores, and offer more spacious housing than Sandburg residence hall, located on the UWM campus.  Will this be a breath of fresh air, or have negative repercussions on the wellestablished values and customs of the area? “I expect it to be positive,” says Vince Bushell, publisher of Riverwest Currents. He hopes the surrounding neighborhood and community will be welcoming so students will be motivated to take active roles in the area. There is a movement to get the students involved and help them become acquainted with the neighborhood. Bushell hopes the students will contribute to the community of Riverwest, getting involved by volunteering in local projects such as spring clean-ups, greenspace improvement, neighborhood gardens, and the Riverwest Food Co-op. UWM’s ideal of being an urban university encourages students to engage in off campus service learning projects. Bushell is “anxious for them to be here,” and hopes the community will offer all students a warm welcome into the area. Community activist Lorraine Jacobs hopes the community will welcome students and help make Riverwest a place they want to “be.” She hopes that “they will eventually want to stay and live here, and be a part of the community.” This new facility is an academically geared dorm, so the students will most likely reflect this attitude. Lorraine Jacobs hopes for the establishment of tutoring programs, and even prospects of a book club, to create positive and constructive community-student relationships. Although many Riverwest residents were not thrilled with the idea of such a large building in their neighborhood, there is hope that the dorms will turn out to have positive outcomes for the area. Jacobs admits that she was not enthusiastic about the idea at first, but realizes that the arrival of so many young adults holds positive prospects for the future. “We need to work to build communication with neighbors,” Jacobs says. She thinks that the process needs to be slow, but that the neighbors can establish a solid relationship with the students eventually. Jacobs encourages those who want to be a part of connecting with students, or know more, to contact her at Jacobslm@ sbcglobal.net. Learn More: Find out about the amenities of the RiverView Residence Hall at www4. uwm.edu/realestate_foundation/river_ view_residence_hall/index.cfm