USU living center near completion
Prospective and current students will soon be able to tour the new Student Living/Learning Community being built on Old Main Hill.
Students will not be moving into the new complex until fall semester 2006, but the first of six buildings is slated for completion by late November, said Steve Jenson, director of Housing and Food Services at Utah State University.
Housing and Food services intends to offer tours to give students a look around the new facilities, Jenson said.
The tours will also give Housing and Food services a chance to get student input on which furniture students feel best suits their needs.
According the USU’s Facilities Web site, this first building will be the largest of the six, housing a community center and a main office that includes mail boxes. All together, the new complex will house 512 students.
While Jenson said residence halls are not filled to capacity, he said he is confident students will want to live in this new complex.
“Interest among current USU students is high,” he said. “We feel that the new Living/Learning Center will be some of the most premier residence halls in the West.”
In all, only 20 beds will be added to on-campus housing, according to the facilities Web site.
Some of the older dorms may be rented for office space by academic units, Jenson said.
“We are also considering several additional ideas at this time but no formal plans are in place,” he said.
Jenson said housing prices for the new complex will be higher than the current facilities, but these prices will be comparable to newer housing on other college campuses.
In contrast to the other dorms on campus, Jenson said this new complex is located right in heart of campus.
“It can’t be any better than this,” he said.
The food services will also be different than current facilities offer.
Carousel Square will be converted to a marketplace-style dining hall, Jenson said, and students living in the new housing complex will eat there.
If classes take these students to the other side of campus, Jenson said, they will also have the option of eating meals in the Junction.
“Dining options will be greatly enhanced over anything USU currently offers,” he said.
Also under construction currently is a new parking facility, according to the Facilities Web site. This new structure will include 603 new parking stalls and will be located below the Living and Learning Center.
According to the Facilities Web site, these parking spaces will be available to residents of the Living and Learning Center, faculty and visitors to the Haight Alumni Center, which is located near to the new complex.
For more information about the Student Learning/Living Community, visit www.usu.edu/housing.
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