WEST HAVEN–The talk of the campus at the moment seems to be the new residence hall that has been under construction since the end of the last academic year. With room selection looming on the horizon, it only seems appropriate that the concerns and rumors be addressed. Thanks to the Office of Residential Life, I can attempt to accomplish this task.
Whenever I talk about the new residence hall, all I want to know is if it is still on schedule. Well rest assured, it is and parts are even ahead of schedule! This means that all of us who are interested in living there next year don’t have to worry about being able to move in on time.
Although there is still no name for the new residence hall, Dean Johnson is asking for student ideas! If you have any good ideas please e-mail her at [email protected]. If you would like to stick to “tradition,” think of something that begins with a B!
The rooms themselves will feature a painted accent wall much like the ones in Sheffield. Every room will also have two bathrooms regardless of if there are six or four people living in the suite. There are two vanity sinks separate from the bathrooms. Each room will feature a full kitchen with a stove and refrigerator. The living room and kitchen were designed using open floor plans.
There will be a sustainability-themed floor in the new residence hall. For more information about what this includes, you can check it out in the Housing Selection Packet available online through Blackboard. There is also a recycling room on the first floor to encourage more recycling among the students here on campus. Each floor’s study lounge/common room will be equipped with flat screen televisions. Corner rooms on higher levels will also get wonderful views.
The building is also LEED Certified. This is something that always seems to be brought up but never really explained. In trying to do some research on it, I discovered that LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design which is through the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). From the USGBC web site, “LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.” If you are interested on doing further research into what it means to be LEED Certified, you can visit the USGBC website at www.usgbc.org and click LEED at the top.
The final biggest question I have heard regarding the new residence hall is the additional cost to live in it. On top of the normal housing fee that we all pay, it will cost an additional $600 per semester if you choose to live in an apartment with single bedrooms or an additional $300 per semester if you choose to live in an apartment with double bedrooms. This has been voted on by the Board of Governors and is official.
Now here is a little information on room selection this year! Everything will be done online. Every student is enrolled in the Office of Residential Life under My Organizations. By clicking on this link you can then click on the documents link to access the Room Selection 2009-2010 folder. In this is everything you will need to register for your room this year. It is a very easy to read and uses nice examples throughout. If you have any questions after reading it, feel free to call the Office of Residential Life at extension 7076.
Patty Christiano, the Director of Residential Life, sent an e-mail to every undergraduate student regarding information sessions coming up in the next couple of weeks. I highly suggest you attend one of these sessions if you have questions.
You can also feel free to contact me, the Residential Relations Committee Head from the USGA. I can be reached through e-mail at [email protected] and also through www.ChargerVoice.com. I’ll find the answers to any questions.
