by Zoe Montague | Editor-in-Chief

Sounds of construction seem to ring throughout campus almost everyday, but students don’t seem to mind. Behind Springs Student Center, right in the heart of campus, the newest housing on campus is being built.

At the official groundbreaking on August 21 President Staton said, “Last fall we rolled out a new strategic plan, The Promise of PC, which is focused on our students. A key component of that plan was creating a strong and active core campus. Neville Hall was a step, and today we take another very important step to strengthen the core and meeting the needs and expectations of students.”

This apartment-style housing will be able to hold 144 students in 36 units. Each unit will contain a full kitchen, a common area, two bathrooms and four single bedrooms. The first class to be able to live in the new housing will be the class of 2020, starting in August of 2019.

Drew Peterson, director of Residence Life, echoes the statement made by President Staton.

“Providing progressive and improved housing options has always been part of my vision for our office,” Peterson said. “The opportunity to bring on three new buildings as part of the strategic plan  is an important part of our efforts to recruit, retain, and provide our students with living spaces that prepare them for life after PC.”

According to Peterson, the project is going very well so far.

“I expect it to be a fantastic set of buildings in a strongly desired location for our upperclassman in the heart of campus. They are close to the student center and the academic buildings. They have big beautiful common room windows and a large open space to gather with friends. These apartments are based on feedback that we have been getting from students over the last five years, so I look forward to seeing students living in a space that has really been designed by their peers that came before them.”

The feedback Peterson has received for these new buildings seems to be only positive. “Similar to the Neville project, it is always exciting to see such great projects become part of our beautiful campus.”