The spring of 2005 brought with it the opening of three new residential buildings on the Virginia Wesleyan campus. Located in the center of the Village III residential area, the new apartments and townhouses have added yet another dimension to campus life.
Students began moving into the newly constructed townhouses at the beginning of the 2005 spring semester. Apartments were opened to residents a few months later.
Construction on the new residences broke ground in April 2004 and was handled by Massachusetts-based design-build firm Cutler Associates. Initial plans for the residences drew from student feedback, including requests for more privacy and quieter study areas.
"This is the trend," said Director of Residence Life Keith Moore. "Institutions are providing students with this type of living environment to meet their changing needs."
Junior resident Matt Lewis acknowledges the opportunity for students to have their own space while still living with roommates as one of the perks of the new residences. "You get your own room along with the kitchen and a nice bathroom," Lewis said. "And you get to pick three people to live with, so I'm living with three of my good friends."
Lewis also cites the increase in on-campus weekend activities as an added bonus to the brick-and-mortar upgrades that the new residences have afforded students. "[The new halls] changed the campus not just in terms of the day-to-day, but weekend-wise. It's changed the school greatly because you're not always going off-campus to hang out."
The three-story apartment building houses 92 students and consists of suites with four single rooms, a kitchen/lounge area, two bathrooms and two washers and dryers on each floor.
The eight townhouses are home to 32 students and are comprised of four single rooms, a kitchen/lounge area, two bathrooms and a washer/dryer in each unit.
Both apartments and townhouses contain entirely brand new amenities including microwaves, flat-top stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators and individual thermostats in each unit. Apartments have co-ed floors and townhouses are single-sex by unit.
"This is helping us establish a critical mass of resident students that will give us some stability and give campus the culture, environment and climate that students want from a college experience," Moore said. "The new housing provides 194 extra beds on campus and was at about 98 percent capacity in the fall."
Additionally, the possibility of continued growth in the future is something Mooreacknowledges, but says that the older residential areas - Bray Village (formerly Village I) and Smithdeal and Gum Halls - need to be improved and modernized.
The new residences give students the feel of living off campus while still allowing them to enjoy the perks of being a resident student. While a professional Residence Life staff member oversees the residences, there is no Resident Assistant on each floor. The benefits of living on campus such as cable television, high-speed Internet, 24-hour security and on-campus activities are included.
For students, the new housing is the next best thing to living off campus. Junior resident Caroline Place said, "We do still have a Village Assistant, but we have a lot more freedom. I feel like we're living in our own place. We have our own rooms, and a nice lounge and kitchen area - I love the way they set it up. I'm very impressed."
"It makes people who have already graduated want to come back," Moore said. "I've had staff and faculty members say, 'Can I live here?'"