New College House to bring suite-style dorms for freshmen

First envisioned in the late ’90s, the New College House is starting to take form in time for its grand opening next fall.

While New College House will be a four-year residential program similar to Du Bois, Gregory and Stouffer, next year it will serve as an exclusively freshmen dorm due to Hill’s closure for renovations. New College House will only have space for 340 students compared to Hill’s 500 rooms. Sansom Place West, typically an upperclassmen and graduate dorm, will also house freshmen next year.

The unique name for this residential building is not definitive. “For now it will be called the New College House,” Executive Director of Business Services Doug Berger said. “It will probably be renamed at some point, but for now we’re just focused on getting it open.”

Student input was one of the key focuses in the construction of New College House. “We did a lot of student research and listening to what other schools are building,” Berger said.

“Because we wanted it to be a four year house we didn’t want just a standard dormitory,” Berger added. “What we got from students was that they wanted a different kind of setup. That meant suites, a variety of types of rooms, and many communal areas.”

Every room in New College House will be suite style housing with three or six students assigned to a room. Each room will include either one or two private bathrooms, depending on the size, as well as a living room complete with couches and a television.

Berger believes that students will also find the house appealing because of how each room has “its own personality.”

“There’s even a room on the seventh floor that has a two story window in it,” he said.

Much to the relief of students fearing the end of Hill brunch on the weekends, New College will also have its own 175- seat dining hall located under a “lifted lawn walkway,” leading up to the entrance. New College House will also offer large lounges on each floor, communal kitchens, multimedia rooms and even a private courtyard.

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