The Quadrangle

Issue date: 10/6/04 Section: News

To fully gain the college experience, many think it is necessary to live on campus. By doing this one can meet new friends, join clubs, and have access to study partners more easily than living off school grounds. While it is good that students want to broaden their horizons and branch away from their familiar family setting, the trend toward living on campus has provides some housing problems for the Administration.

According to the Vice President of Finance, John Daly, this year's Residence Halls have reached 100% capacity. In the past three years the Administration has had to place 100 beds off campus on Riverdale Avenue. While many students still commute to the school, many more have chosen to live on campus. This shift to dorm life differs from the past living conditions of Manhattan's students. According to Daly, "traditionally 45% of the total enrollment had been on campus residents. However, in the last five years freshman residents alone have reached over 70%."

The new residence hall, which will be located next to Horan Hall, is still in the planning stage. "Our main priority right now is the parking garage, which we will begin construction on in the summer of 2005. This garage will provide over 700 parking spaces for students and will be 50,000 square feet," said Daly. In order for the school to add new residence halls they must first meet the New York State codes and regulations for the number of parking spaces available for the number of residences. When the parking garage is finished in the summer of 2006, the Administration's main focus will be the new residence hall.

Besides adding much needed student parking, the garage could lead to added bonuses for the campus. The addition of the new parking garage could possible free up other parking lots, such as Waldo, to be used as other means for the College. "The addition of the new parking spaces will free up valuable property," said Daly. "Waldo, for example, could be turned into academic offices, new classrooms or even a student union. This building would then link together the upper and lower campuses." While this is just one possibility that could come from the parking garage, Daly said that these changes would not be made until after the new residence hall is built. "The master plan in effect is to construct the parking garage in 2005. When that is finished the following year, then we will look to start the new residence hall. After that a number of different ideas have been discussed for future buildings and additions," said Daly.

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