Now that the dining revamp is nearing completion Student Affairs is directing its attention to housing.
In the June 8, meeting of the Board of Trustees the board voted to increase the cost of housing beginning in the fall 2019 semester. This increase in the cost of housing is to help fund a five-year plan to build more dorms and renovate older dorms.
“We are going to build new housing on campus,” said Bobby Woodard, vice president of Student Affairs. “The question really is the timetable. Which I think, very conservatively, is 2021.”
Woodard and his team at Student Affairs, as well as administrators from offices around campus, are looking to replace the Hill. However, they cannot just start taking down the Hill without adding new housing first.
They are looking to add approximately 500 beds before the renovation in the Hill begins. This will be done through a new building that will most likely feature a tradition dorm style like the Hill has now rather than a suite-style like the Village, Woodard said.
“We will design sister buildings to that building so maybe we do three 500 bed buildings versus having twelve buildings over there, so we make them a little larger,” Woodard said.
Woodard said he is looking to create larger dorms so housing can offer more beds while not taking up more valuable, close to campus space. After the new dorm is built, he would like to build similar buildings.
Once the new dorm is up and running, then the housing initiative will look to the Hill dorms. Two of the buildings in the Hill were built in the late 1960s. Those buildings will be the first to be redone, Woodard said.
Woodard is unsure if those two buildings will be torn down and rebuilt or remodeled, but there will be a dorm building in that location.
“The cost to build new would be a little more expensive than renovating, but how much longevity you have in that new building would be well worth it,” Woodard said.
The plan is to take the Hill one dorm at a time until all of the dorms are remodeled or rebuilt. There is no exact plan yet for each dorm, rather they will determine whether each building needs to be torn down or can just be remodeled as they move through the Hill.
Woodard has been working alongside administrators and Student Government Association leaders to create the best experience possible for students.
“The overall goal is to provide a better on-campus living experience for our students,” Woodard said.
He is not expecting to have the new dorm ready for move-in for at least two years. But he said he is excited to announce the full plans for housing, including the location of the new dorm, this fall.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Elizabeth, senior in journalism and political science, is the community editor for The Plainsman
