Drexel to build new dorm for freshmen

Enrollment numbers are up at universities around the country, and finding on-campus housing for the growing student body has become increasingly difficult.

Drexel University, Penn's West Philadelphia neighbor, is taking action to remedy the problem with the construction of a new residence hall, scheduled to be completed next fall.

The new Drexel building will be built at 33rd and Race streets, the current site of a basketball court.

Drexel Student Life and Administrative Services spokesman James Katsaounis said that the site was "ideal ... based on location and proximity to other residence halls."

The plans for the $25.5 million project were submitted four months ago. Preparation of the site has already begun.

Katsaounis said that the building is needed because of the "continuous increase in freshmen" enrolling at Drexel.

While he said that the school was able to accommodate all of this year's incoming freshmen, he acknowledged a problem housing all the upperclassmen interested in living on-campus.

Drexel junior and Undergraduate Student Government Association spokesman Dan Steinberg said that limited on-campus housing has been a major student concern recently.

"In the city, it's a problem to find affordable, safe housing," Steinberg said. "This is top priority in the students' minds."

Steinberg added that the waiting list for on-campus housing for upperclassmen had gone from less than 100 students to 500 or 600 over the past few years.

"I would have liked to see [the issue] resolved a bit sooner," he said. "But realistically, they acted accordingly. Red tape is a big issue around here."

The residence hall will offer suite-style apartment living with four students per suite. The building will be exclusively for freshmen, leaving space in the other residence halls for upperclassmen.

As for the now-closed basketball courts, both Katsaounis and Steinberg said that a new recreational facility could conceivably be constructed.

Steinberg said that increasing the number of recreational facilities was "one of the student government's initiatives for the year."

Like Drexel, Penn officials have plans in the works for new College house, said Omar Blaik, senior vice president of facilities and real estate services.

However, Director of College Houses and Academic Services Leslie Delauter described these plans as "tentative," citing a change in the "financial picture at Penn."

Neither commented on the need for more on-campus housing.

The number of accepted Penn students who matriculated into this year's freshman class was larger than usual, causing some upperclassmen to be relocated to the Sheraton-University City for the fall semester.

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