Last modified: Friday, December 7, 2007
IU unveils plan to upgrade student housing at Bloomington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 7, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS -- A five-year plan to upgrade housing for 2,000 students at the Indiana University Bloomington campus was presented today (Dec. 7) to the IU Board of Trustees.
The plan would create state-of-the-art, suite-style housing by replacing around 2,080 beds of existing double-room housing in the Briscoe and Forest residence halls. The estimated total cost is $113.5 million.
Photo by: Chris Meyer
Students move into IU dorms in August, 2007. IU trustees have approved a five-year plan to upgrade housing for 2,000 students.
Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management, told trustees the new housing is sorely needed to keep IU Bloomington competitive with other Big Ten schools that have already begun upgrading student housing. IU Bloomington has not built new student housing since 1969.
"Today's students have more choices for pursuing a college education than ever before," Thompson said. "One of the major factors that goes into their decision is the quality of the living experience. Today's students want to live, study and recreate in state-of-the-art housing."
Much of IU's student housing consists of double-rooms without private baths. The new suite-style rooms would not only include private baths but have more floor space and more amenities.
"Student and parent feedback indicates strong desire for IU to combine the unique social and academic benefits of on-campus housing with more modern facilities," Neil Theobald, vice president and chief financial officer, noted. "In response, President McRobbie has committed to upgrading all of the residence halls at IU Bloomington over the next 15 years."
The first step of the plan calls for construction of a new four-story, 880-bed facility at the former Ashton Complex site at 10th and Union streets, with completion scheduled for the fall, 2009.
The second phase -- to be done over four years -- involves converting 2,080 traditional beds in Briscoe and Forest residence halls to suites with 1,200 beds.
The new beds in Ashton would compensate for the reduced number of beds in Briscoe and Forest. Overall, IU Bloomington has housing for about 11,000 students.
Terry Clapacs, vice president for administration and chief administrative officer, said that pending board approval, construction on the Ashton Complex could begin in the spring. He said he would bring detailed plans to the board in January for approval.
