Board approves housing additions

University looks to relieve increasing demand in phases

October 23, 2006 —

The SVSU Board of Control approved the construction of additional residential housing during its regular session Monday, Oct. 9.

The construction will be done in two separate phases, adding 310 beds over the next two years to the University Village and Pine Grove apartments at a cost of around $17 million. The projects will be financed through general revenue bonds.

The decision to add on-campus housing comes on the heels of a record 2006 freshman class that saw 1,450 new students enrolled at the University compared to 1,263 in the fall of 2005. The increase in freshman enrollment, particularly for those living on campus, prompted the University to request the addition.

"The real crunch we felt this year sort of advanced it up on our agenda," said University President Eric R. Gilbertson. "We simply had more students who wanted to live on campus."

Without the housing additions, the University would have been forced to either limit the number of upper-classmen living on campus or limit the number of freshmen it admits. Gilbertson said neither option would have been acceptable, and since there had been plans to eventually add more housing, the University went to the Board and asked for authority to expedite its plans.

The first phase of construction will begin this winter and add seven units to the existing University Village, creating space for an additional 168 residents. The project is expected to be completed by August 2007.

Gilbertson said the Village expansion was selected to be completed during the first phase to address the immediate need for new housing. Since the University already has the plans and infrastructure in place to build the new units, the construction will move fairly quickly compared to other projects that require more intricate planning.

The second phase will look to expand on the variety of housing options available for residential students. Though no specific plan is in place, the University is considering adding thematic housing, which would give students the option of living with those that share similar interests, such as membership in the same clubs and organizations. That housing would be added to the area near the Pine Grove apartments with a target completion of August 2008.

"A number of students are looking for the opportunity to live residentially around a certain thing," said Robert L. Maurovich, vice president of Student Services and Enrollment Management. "These are students who are coming in and have common interests, and what they want to be able to do is live residentially in proximity with other students who share that educational perspective."

An additional option for the University would be to add more units comparable to those already in place at the Pine Grove apartment complex. Such a move could potentially take Phase II away from the thematic housing plan and replace it with standard housing.

Regardless, Gilbertson says the University will take its time in evaluating its options to find the best fit for both the students and the University.

"We have some time at our disposal now to bring in some architects and look at what other institutions do in this regard," he said. "We'll try to develop the best ideas we can to expand the range of housing choices we can give students."

In addition to the housing expansion, the University also plans to undertake a $2.5 million renovation to the current First Year Suites.

The renovation would reduce the density of each suite from a maximum of eight students to six.

Funded through existing capital reserves, the project would begin during the summer of 2008 and be completed by the start of the fall semester.