If you live on campus like I do, hearing excessive drilling, pounding, hammering, and other construction related noises every morning has become the norm. Yes, the loud beeping of a truck backing up and the sharp banging of metal can get quite annoying when you’re trying to get your precious beauty sleep before your 8am class. But, the end result of the construction across from the Traditions parking garage will most definitely be worth it.
Meet the new Dorman and Deviney halls; coming to FSU’s campus in Fall 2015. These brand new dormitory halls will be similar to the style of Degraff and Wildwood, which are both on the newer side. The new facilities will be able to house over 800 students, who will be able to enjoy suite-style bathrooms with brand new bathroom fixtures that will make the rooms feel more like home. The two buildings will have six floors and will most likely be co-ed style on each floor. However, the outside will still hold the traditional brick wall look to blend in with all of the other beautiful buildings on campus.
So why were Dorman and Deviney torn down rather than similar community style halls like Smith or Kellum? Well, to start, Dorman and Deviney are among the oldest buildings on campus. Due to the fact that the two buildings have been here for several decades, the halls have been worn down from year to year. They also house a lot less students than Smith and Kellum, and therefore destroying these two would benefit all students who would like to have housing on campus.
According to Mary Coburn, who is the Vice President for Student Affairs, she has found that students who live on campus their first year do much better than those who don’t. This promotes doing better academically, physically, emotionally, and mentally because of the ability to be accessible to all resources needed when adjusting to an entirely new surrounding and environment. Tearing down Dorman and Deviney will provide more space for freshman (and sophomores and up as well) to live on campus and have that easy accessibility to class, FSU events, the recreational gyms, the counseling center, and much more. However, there is some talk of Kellum and Smith being torn down as well, and possibly going through the same process as Dorman and Deviney. But that is still in the works and has yet to be completely finalized and confirmed.
So, you think it couldn’t get any better? Well, it’s about to. The final decision still needs to go under approval, but two more new halls are to be put in to the current spots that the current Dorman and Deviney hold. So in a few years, if all goes well, the campus will see four brand new housing facilities for students to enjoy (and if Kellum and Smith will follow this process, eight brand new dorms will be added to the FSU campus for future students to come). Am I the only one who is extremely happy for the community style dorms to be going out of style?! I’m sure FSU’s future college students will be just as happy when their time to embark on their college journey comes closer.
All images courtesy of http://urbantallahassee.com