2008 Woodie Awards
URI considers new dorm
Andy Blais
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: News
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The Terrace Apartments, which currently house up to 50 students, would be cleared to create a new dormitory for freshmen.
Before Eddy, Garrahy and Wiley halls, there had been no housing development during the last 30 years.
"We hadn't built a dorm since 1971," said Vice President for Administration Robert Weygand, adding that Heathman Hall was the last hall built.
"By taking out the Terrace Apartments and putting in a new 350-bed dorm, we are adding 300 beds to campus," Weygand said.
The new dorm would either be similar to the new suites or a more modern version of the freshman dorms.
The first step in the process to building this new dorm will be a request for architects, which will be issued next month.
After that, the administration will petition the Rhode Island General Assembly for approval in January 2008. After this, it would take a year to 15 months to design the dorm and then a year to build it.
Weygand addressed the amount of time before construction would begin. "I'm guessing that it will be a year from this coming March," he said.
"We are anxious to get more housing on campus," Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Housing and Residential Life Chip Yensan said.
The entire construction project is meant to increase the on-campus living community at URI.
As for the price, the university will spend between $35 and $38 million on the new dorm.
"As we do with all residential [buildings], it would be paid for by the students," Weygand said.
At one time, URI housed 50 percent of students on campus. In the past few years that percentage had dropped to 37 percent, according to Weygand.
He said that because of the new dorms, the percentage of students housed on campus is now 47. URI, according to Weygand, would like to see the percentage at 50 to 55.
Weygand said that by having more students living on campus there is a better sense of community. He added that living on campus gives "upperclassmen greater opportunities." He continued by saying that it would also alleviate traffic by having fewer students living in Narragansett.
Weygand and the Capital Projects staff have been working on many new ideas for the Kingston campus. One includes linking Flagg Road with Ministerial Road too alleviate some traffic to and from the Ryan Center.
Another project is a new alumni hotel called the "Campus Inn," which would be located somewhere off Lower College Road. And of course, much of their attention has been placed on the north campus science buildings.