To assist with increasing number of residential students living on-campus, a new residence hall has been under construction between Fain Fine Arts center and Pierce Hall since last summer and continued over winter break.

The project is scheduled to be complete by mid-July with details finished by July 29. Move-in is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Rainy weather has been an issue with construction, putting halts to the project in some areas.

“When we first started the project back in May and June of last year, we had a lot of rain and that caused lot of trouble as far as getting concrete piers into ground,” Percy said. “Over the last two weeks, we have lost about two days due to weather. What’s really more of a hassle is if you walk inside, it is a big mud pit because it never dries out.”

From Dec. 14-17 the electrical power was tied in to the new residence hall.

“We had to shut down the power in Pierce, Killingsworth and McCollugh-Trigg halls. It was a major under taking, but went well,” Dave Percy, director of construction services, said.

In the past month the two out of four stairways have been completed. The other two are waiting for concrete to be poured into the risers.

“The dorm is F-shaped and there are four wings to the project. They are building the south half (wings one and two) a little ahead of the north (wings three and four),” Percy said. “The south wing will be completed first and is a little further along than the north.”

The south wing is framed out and sheet rock has been placed.

“They have about 90 percent of the moisture barrier on the outside and about 30 percent of insulation board on the building. Window and door frames are also in place,” Percy said.

By end of semester, all framework will be completed and the outside walls will be enclosed.

“Brick will be on by then and exterior will look completed, but the inside will still need work completed,” Percy said.

STUDENT REACTION:

•  “The new dorm is good because it will help MSU grow,” Mikila Billinger, humanities freshman, said. “It will allow for more students to live on-campus. I don’t have any complaints about noise. You really can’t hear it going on.”
• Brooklyn Lambert, radiology sophomore, said, “The new residence hall is a good thing, but hope they add parking for students along with it. I don’t hear the construction going on when I’m in my dorm.”
• “We definitely need more housing on campus, so I’m okay with the construction,” Kelli Cousins, accounting and sociology senior, said. “The noise has been bothersome at times when walking between there to classes, but it is not a huge issue.”