The Ball State Board of Trustees approved a plan in December to build a new hall that will house about 500 students and will be located north of the DeHority Halls Complex. Construction is expected to begin in May and be completed by June 2007.
"It will benefit our students tremendously," Randy Hyman, dean of students, said. "We feel confident we're coming up with something optimally responsive to their needs."
To meet the dining needs of students living in Woodworth Hall, DeHority Hall and the new hall, he said the trustees approved an expansion and renovation of the Woodworth Dining Hall, which is expected to be completed by fall 2007.
The combined cost of the projects is $36 million, with $30 million coming from the sale of housing and dining facility revenue bonds. The rest will come from the university's housing and dining renewal and replacement funds, Hargrave said.
Ball State updated its long-range plan for the residence halls in 2001 with the help of Anderson Strickler, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The firm specializes in project development for educational institutions.
Hyman said the firm surveyed students, focusing on the residence hall features that appealed to them.
Alan Hargrave, director of housing and residence life, said key amenities students have requested for the new hall include air conditioning, more studying space, more wireless Internet capacities and more privacy in restrooms and showers.
Hargrave said he gathered feedback again from student groups last year, which validated what students emphasized in the 2001 survey.
"This allows us to configure the building in such a way that it meets today's students' needs," Hargrave said.
Proposed features include double-occupancy rooms clustered around semi-private bathrooms and several single-occupancy rooms with private baths. The rooms will provide each student with their own computer ports, he said. A first-floor community space will also include seminar and activity rooms.
The hall, which will likely be co-ed, will provide social lounges that will be shared by two floors. Each floor will have three wings, each of which will have its own study lounge. A ground floor will contain a laundry room connected to a fitness room, Hargrave said.
Hargrave said he presented several design ideas last year to members of the Student Government Association and the Residence Hall Association.
While the Board of Trustees has already approved the design, the design still has to go to various state agencies for further approval.
Hargrave said a mock-up of a sample room designed for the new hall will be set up eventually in the lounge of Trane Hall in DeHority Complex so students will be able to provide last-minute feedback. Hargrave will show the building plan to the Residence Hall Association Thursday.
"We've tried to make very good use of the dollars we're going to spend, and I think we've achieved that with this design," Hargrave said. "I think the excitement will continue to build as students continue to see the building actually take shape."
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