 "Photo: Paul Wentzell")
With construction still not quite finished and the smell of fresh paint in the air, Almetris Duren Residence Hall opened for business this semester.
The new dorm cost $50 million to build, holds 585 beds and is 92 percent full for this semester, said Doug Garrard, associate director of Division of Housing and Food Service.
Garrard said DHFS's goal was to make each new dormitory better than the last. Duren features new furniture, private bathrooms and large windows, which distinguish it from older dorms such as Jester Center.
"The construction went like they all do, nothing out of the ordinary," said Steve Cohse, a contractor who worked on the woodwork in Duren Hall. Cohse has worked on several other University projects over the years, he said.
Duren Hall, like San Jacinto Hall, is also more expensive than many other dormitories because of its private restrooms. But liberal arts freshman Ben Holland said he is not bothered by the price, because he is "not paying for it." Duren Hall also offers an upgrade from his fall semester housing in Jester.
With the opening of Duren Hall, the DHFS now has 7,300 beds for undergraduate University students and plans to build enough dorms to hold about 9,000 beds, Garrard said. He also said there have been no definite decisions made about the construction of future dormitories. According to the division's residence hall master plan, it takes about four years to build a new dormitory.
Before the opening of San Jacinto Hall, the last dormitory the DHFS built was Jester Center in 1969, and the division is looking at overhauling the interiors of the older dormitories such as Jester Center, Garrard said. DHFS would like to begin such a plan within the next couple of years but has no firm timeline, and plans would be contingent upon availability of funding.
Garrard said the University may look at building apartment-style housing to try to attract more upperclassmen back to campus.
Changes are also being made to food services in order to handle the increase of students living on campus, including the completion of the Kinsolving Dining Hall renovations and allowing Dine-in-Dollars to be used at Littlefield Patio Cafe after 2 p.m., Garrard said.
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