New Building Not to be for First-Year Students
The proposed new residence hall on campus has been changed to house sophomores instead of incoming first year students.
Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student and Community Services, said that the University is planning on having this new building to continue to meet the demands of the current students.
“In particular, we want to be able to guarantee second year students housing just as we do our first year students,” Nagy said. “The building will house approximately 200 students and will be a traditional style building very similar to Mullaney Hall.”
The construction of the building has not started yet. “We will not start until the University receives the proper approval from the local planning board in West Long Branch,” Nagy added.
The building was originally discussed to be for incoming freshmen to try to standardize housing for the first year students. Also, a majority of their housing is already traditional style.
The newest residence hall on campus is Mullaney Hall which was completed in May 2010 for first year students.
Nagy said, “After discussions with several areas, and most importantly our Student Government Association, we are leaning towards having the building used for second year students that may want a more traditional style experience.”
“We want to be able to house all of the second year students who want housing on campus and eliminate the anxiety that I know exists among students through the housing lottery assignment process,” Nagy said.
The University wants students to see this as an incentive to remain on campus. Having the possibility of living in a brand new building can be seen as a perk.
A facility likes this usually takes a year to build. “It is our hope that we will be able to start in such a way that we would be able to open for the Fall 2013 semester but again, this is contingent upon receiving the appropriate approvals from the local community,” Nagy said.
If that’s the case, it won’t affect any students enrolled now, it will be for the first-year students coming to campus fall of 2012 for their sophomore year.
According to Bob Cornero, Monmouth’s Associate Vice President of Campus Planning and Construction, the building will be constructed on the current site of Lot 6, located near the library and Cedar Hall.
David Rudowski, a junior health studies major, says he has not heard a word about this new project. Living in an apartment off-campus, he said it does not affect him personally, but he agrees with the change to sophomore housing.
“I don’t think it’s fair to the students who stay at Monmouth for more than one year to get the short end of the stick,” Rudowski said. “The new dorms shouldn’t just be to attract new freshmen.”
Kristine Lee, a junior communication major, said, “I wish when I was a sophomore living on campus I had the option of a new building. I was really jealous when they opened Mullaney that year and younger classmen were living in a nicer building than me when I was older.” “I think sophomores do deserve the building over freshman since it’s their second year on campus, they deserve a better living situation,” she added.
They do not have a final cost but they are assuming it to be similar to the price it was to construct Mullaney Hall. Cornero estimates it will be approximately $13.6 million. The cost of materials and labor at the time of construction is the deciding factor.
“We will have a competitive bidding process and will focus on the best value, not just the lowest price,” Nagy said.
