Gannon Knight News

     Gannon University housing plays an intricate role in the college life on campus, but soon many aspects of on-campus residence life will be drastically changing.
     Freshmen housing meetings are March 8. The lottery system will be explained, as well as the details on housing deposits. The housing meeting will be separated into two sections, Wehrle Hall and Crispo Apartments at 7 p.m. and Finegan Hall at 8:30 p.m., both in Room 104 of the Zurn Science Center.
     “[Students] have a two-year housing obligation,” said Doug Zimmerman, director of student living. “It is the last stage to get in with people and make it through the year.”
     Not only is the lottery a change for students this year, but those living in University Apartments will need to make their own changes – residents will need to be completely moved out of their rooms by the week after finals.
     Gannon plans to tear down University to make room for the new freshman and upperclassman suites, scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2011.
     Zimmerman said the housing group meets with the architects every week developing the ideas and plans for the building.
     He said there are more freshmen than the bed spaces available in Finegan and Wehrle. He said that they needed something to put the students in so they can interact in a dorm-like way and be more socially active, unlike the more secluded nature of an apartment building.
     “The old buildings were built before 1985,” Zimmerman said. “We need new places to stay competitive in the market place.”
     He said they started the rebuilding plans with University Apartments for placement reasons.
     Brandon Trumbull, a junior biotechnology and biology major and current resident of University Apartments, said that it will not personally affect his living plans, but he feels the change will negatively affect other students since University is normally on the top of the list for freshmen during the housing drawings.
     “I know many upperclassmen that have lived in University, which seems to be a common location for upperclassmen, unlike the other apartment buildings located closer to campus,” he said.
     Jon Petrigac, a sophomore environmental science major, said that he does not like the idea of University being torn down because the apartments are big compared with the other housing buildings.
     “I’m a little disappointed that they’re destroying it so soon because I would have liked to spend the summer in University,” he said. “My plans now are to transfer into one of the other housing buildings.”
     Erin Fuller, a sophomore business administration major and current University Apartment resident, said that she believes University is an old building and needs to be torn down, but Gannon should let the lease run out before starting demolition.
     She said that if Gannon asks for students’ input, they should actually take it into consideration.
     “I am living here this summer and thank God I have a landlord that is willing to work with what is going on,” she said. “Once I heard that University was being torn down, I called him and he was very generous with his efforts to help us. If we are unable to move into his apartment, I will go into whatever apartment Gannon puts me into, which could be a very uncomfortable and unnecessary move.”
     Trumbull said he feels it is not smart on Gannon’s behalf to demolish University Apartments without already having a new building established to relocate students.
     Gannon has worked on that problem by providing students with places to live, such as Crispo Apartments or any other empty bed space available, said Zimmerman.
     He said that for those students who decide to go home for the summer or move into an off-campus residence, the university will reimburse them for the amount of weeks they are not living on campus and pre-paid for.
     Zimmerman said Gannon bought apartments to place students at 202, 204 and 210 W. Eighth St., as well as 301 W. Fifth St., during the year. He said these apartments will be available for student housing even after the new building is finished.
     Students are encouraged to take a look at the mock apartments set up on the third floor of the A.J. Palumbo Academic Center.
     “The mock-up has helped,” Zimmerman said. “It lets students get in and move around to actually see it. It’s just working to putting the final pieces together.”
     Trumbull said he has heard numerous positive comments about the new plans for the suites. He said he feels that for the price a student pays to live in the on-campus apartments, the single room plans will increase the amount of upperclassmen choosing to live on campus as well.
     “Strategy will be the key to efficiently designing the apartments so space is used most efficiently,” he said.