Why do we do what we do? Why is what we do important? What are the best practices to ensure that our "why" is accomplished? These are questions of philosophy--a topic of immense importance since the "why" behind the work influences everything about the "how" and "what" of daily affairs in the world of college and university student housing practice. As John Dalton and Pamela Crosby (2011) recently observed, "Clarifying the enduring mission and purpose for student affairs is also complicated by the many rapid changes confronting higher education that continually pose new priorities and functions in student affairs." Thus, contrasting the present with the past often provides important cues about what the future might hold. In 1980, James A. Wallace authored an essay in "The Journal of College and University Student Housing" titled "The Philosophy of University Housing." In his essay, Wallace dissects the articulated goals of one housing program, at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and argues that the example offers a template for understanding the general philosophical disposition of the industry. In this article, the authors respond to the essay in an attempt to look forward by looking back. They elucidate emerging trends in early 1980s housing/residence life and highlight how those trends have developed so they are part of today's mainstream philosophies.