The crowd patiently waited in the shade just north of Morrison hall for the beginning of the groundbreaking ceremony of the new dorms. Wichita State faculty and students alongside active citizens and local businessmen spoke about the promise of the new facility.     

Once the stage was taken, in the peak heat of the afternoon, the shade was abandoned and the focus was drawn to the individuals who made this new dormitory possible. 

Starting out with thanks and recognition to all involved the ceremony lead into the real purpose for building a new dorm: to improve campus life for students and faculty alike. 

“This can’t do anything but drastically improve life on campus,” said Andy Tompkins, President and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents. 

Student involvement and campus life drew were a large focus when the new dormitory was designed; it will not only benefit residents of the new dorm but the whole student body. 

The new dorm will have a 24,000 square foot dinning center with 440-person capacity that will be available to everyone. Shocker Dollars as well as conventional forms of payment will be accepted. 

The meal plans will be part of the room and board for the residents of the dorm – primarily freshmen.

The new dormitory will provide more opportunities for freshman to live on campus, reducing the stresses of driving and parking during their first year of college.

“If you think about it now a lot of students are driving, even residential students living over at Fairmount or Wheatshocker,” Steve Larson, Director of housing and residence said. “I hear students talking about it all the time. 

central campus, you’re not going to drive.”

The five-story, 300,000 square feet dorm will accommodate 780 students. Each floor will have its own laundry facilities, a community kitchen, and a lounge area. 

Residents will have the benefit of stepping across the street to get to class, or even just walking down stairs. The dorm will also have two new classrooms for any professor to use and will accommodate classes for the whole student body.

President Bardo spoke about the importance of students being immersed in academics as well as forming a student community. Putting the new dorm in the center of the university and will facilitate first-year students interaction and participation in campus life. 

“It’s one thing to read Aristotle, it’s another thing to know why you’re reading Aristotle,” President Bardo said. 

The $65 million project is set to start next Monday, and completion is projected in time for the fall semester of 2014. Dondlinger and Sons will build the dorm in partnership with Farha Construction. A loss of approximately 750 parking spaces due to the construction will be offset somewhat by the addition of 400 parking spaces along 21st Street, east of Corbin Hall.  Handicap-accessible spaces have been relocated to Alumni Drive.

Completion of the new dormitory will coincide with the termination of Wheatshocker Apartments and Brennan Hall as residence halls.  Those buildings will be razed for future development projects.  Fairmount Towers will become residence exclusively to returning students.