The Board of Trustees for the College officially approved the construction of a new residence hall. The residence hall will be in the area behind Brady Hall, and is set to have 150 bedrooms, according to Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., President of the college.
Father Jonathan said, “The building will be located in the area behind Brady Hall and will provide innovative living and learning opportunities that will allow students to more fully integrate their lives inside and outside of the classroom.”
The residence hall is not set for a specific grade, but is being built with the hopes that it will alleviate the need for triples, especially in the freshman year.
Dr. Joseph Horton, Dean of Students, said, “…it will allow students from different classes to live together while exploring particular interests or themes.”
According to Horton, the hall will have a mix of singles, doubles, and triples, as well as students with medical conditions.
A unique goal of this residence hall is to break down the barrier students have in their residences and classrooms. This break down may be literal according to Horton.
He said, “The facility will include a large classroom/meeting room that will allow the possibility of a course being held within the residence hall.”
The classroom will also serve the additional purpose of having faculty members’ regular presence in the residence halls.
Horton said, “We also envision the possibility of inviting faculty members to be present regularly in the residential setting to conduct discussions and colloquia.”
This hall will also be focused on building community in the residence hall. It will have more common spaces, and study rooms for students to use both together and individually.
The financing for the new space is not set, but according to Horton will cost $9.8 million. He added that this new cost will not have an impact on student tuition.
Father Jonathan said, “The financing plan will be finalized by the Finance Committee of the Board, after which a date for commencing construction will be determined.”
Horton said the tentative plan is for construction to begin this summer and end by August of 2014.
