Since the last academic year, the University of Alabama has been constructing a new dormitory, which will be finished in June of 2012, according to Andy Beville, director of housing operations.
“The project has been going well and on schedule; there have been no setbacks,” Beville said.
The new dormitory currently under construction will be North Bluff, and it will be open to students in August 2012, according to Beville. During the construction of the dorm, the committee went through three to four name changes before finally agreeing on North Bluff.
“This new dorm will be open to incoming freshmen, along with residential advisors,” Beville said.
While this construction has been going on, the University has had to take away student parking spots for the construction to take place but has given the students other options for parking. Students now have opportunities to stay within their designated zones without leaving and possibly getting citations.
“Because of the construction, we decided to combine the three different northern parking zones into one, which allows all of those students to park without going out of the area,” said Chris D’Esposito, assistant director of parking operations.
“Once North Bluff has been completely constructed, Rose Towers will be torn down,” D’Esposito said. “We are planning to put a new dining hall and a satellite recreational center in that area also.”
According to D’Esposito, there have been no complaints from the construction team about students attempting to park in the construction zone.
Students of the University feel that this new addition to the campus will be a positive one for future students but has negatively impacted parking.
“The new dorm creates a positive image for the University, and our campus is starting to look more up-to-date,” said John Quigley, a junior majoring in marketing. “Although the construction has been going on, it hasn’t been annoying, but parking has gotten worse since.”
Meredith Cohen, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she thinks the new dorm would be a positive change, as it will be a newer place for students to live and will be cleaner than Rose.
“Students won’t have to walk to Lakeside and hike up that hill or go across campus to the rec,” Cohen said.
In the original version of this story, Andy Beville’s name was misspelled as Andy Eeville. The Crimson White regrets the error and is happy to set the record straight.
