New dorms on schedule to be done this spring

Despite the dirt-caked floors and unpainted walls of two new dorms being built on campus, the projects are on schedule to be completed in the spring.

Peter Gronendyk, associate director of residence life and dining services, said the grand opening of the dorms on the west side of campus will be in March. The two residence halls will be used for summer camps and freshmen orientation until students move in next fall, he said.

"It's hard to visualize now, but it will be a very attractive place for students to live and learn," Gronendyk said. "We want students to get excited about it as it gets closer to completion."

The new co-ed dorms will be home to 496 students next fall, he said.

"It's fantastic for first and second year housing. The building design will be a great opportunity to share a room and have the experience of living in a residence hall and getting to know your community members," he said. "At the same time, the design allows for a great deal of privacy."

The north dorm building will house emerging leaders and honors students, while the south building will be the home to mostly ROTC and music students, he said.

"Students involved in the music and ROTC programs will be selected by faculty," Gronendyk said. "Departments put in competitive bids to be awarded space."

The two dorms are connected by a third building, which will serve as the main entrance to both buildings.

"The skylight will give them a grand entrance," Gronendyk said. "We think students are really going to (like) it. It's a really nice setting."

Some of the buildings' perks include ROTC classrooms and music practice spaces.

"Students can actually go to class in buildings they are living in," he said.

Fredrico Doss, sophomore psychology major, said he would enjoy living in the new dorms if he could take classes inside the building.

"It would be beneficial because I wouldn't have to walk all the way from Carpenter," he said. "But I don't really mind walking."

Besides cutting down on travel time, residents will also have private bathrooms, free laundry, kitchen areas with bars, microwaves and sinks and balconies on every floor. Moreover, students will be living in a sustainable, eco-friendly environment, Gronendyk said.

"The walls are insulated with two blocks of Styrofoam, and then concrete is poured between them," he said. "The reason why it's environmentally friendly is because of its insulating properties."

The Variable Refrigerant Flow Air Conditioning systems will give students more freedom to adjust their room temperatures while using less energy than a standard system, he said.

"You can control the temperature in your room, no matter what the other rooms are," Gronendyk said.

But although the green dorms appeal to Doss, he wouldn't live in the new dorms because they do not have stoves, he said.

"I use my stove every day," he said. "It's nice that it's eco-friendly, but I've got to have a stove."

Junior history major Hanah Dobbs said she wished newer dorms had been available when she first came to The U of M.

"I had a good experience in Richardson Towers, roughing it as far as dorms go," she said. "But it would have been awesome to come to a new place."

Dobbs said the dorms could attract prospective students.

"It will give new students a different perspective on campus life," she said.

Some students, like Russ Williams, senior architecture major, said they wouldn't want to live in a dorm in any case.

"I haven't stayed on campus since my freshman year," he said. "There wasn't enough space for me, and I have animals."

Privacy is another issue Williams has with living in a dorm, he said.

"I don't like (wearing) clothes," he said. "Everybody knows it, too."

James Cowell, freshman finance major who lives in Richardson Towers, said he would like to move to the new dorm when it is complete.

"Richardson is kind of junky," he said. "There was a leak above the toilet and the air conditioner was broken for two weeks."

Despite maintenance issues and sharing a bathroom, Cowell said he enjoys dorm life. "I would love having my own bathroom," he said.