The headline on the top of the front page of The Daily Local News read, “WCU TO REBUILD DORMS.” It was Feb. 28 and the article by Brian Fanelli described potentially one of the largest development projects this school has ever planned to undertake, one that would shift the face and alter the image of the University for decades.
The plan? To demolish and rebuild five residence halls.
The price tag? Current estimations are around at least $250 million.
The timeline? Current plans call for three phases of construction, with the final phase being completed in 2012 and the first new hall to be ready for occupancy by fall 2009.
The borough of West Chester has not approved the current plan, which University officials have stated is just that – a plan. It is unknown what is set in stone at this point. Mark Pavlovich, vice president of advancement, told the Daily Local News that if the borough does approve all of the University’s plans, he’d like to break ground in May 2008. He also told the DLN that research by the University concluded that it would be more cost-effective to tear the buildings down and construct new ones rather than renovate the out-dated residence halls.
All of this is long overdue and the University is smart to take on this project. The buildings slated to be demolished have been out-dated for years; some are more than 40 years old.
Before the plans are approved, the blue prints are drawn and students begin to get excited, a lot has to happen. And a lot has to happen in the proper fashion.
We hope that this development project yields the results it should. For it to be successful, a number of things must come from it. The first is five respectable residence halls. First and foremost, it is important that the buildings themselves are respected by their student occupants, the University and local community. A lack of respect for the new buildings will result in unnecessary damage to them, as well as a rapid deterioration of their overall allure. If the University wants the buildings to remain new and beautiful, they should be absolutely sure that they will be respected.
To that end, we hope that the $250 million price tag covers the cost of making the residence halls the best they can possibly be. The last thing students or University officials want is for the first set of occupants to have a laundry list of complaints about their brand new living quarters.
We hope that the University has already been in consultation with students regarding their thoughts and opinions about campus living. We also hope that the University solicits as much student input as possible, from both current WCU students and potential future ones, as they’ll be the occupants of the dorms.
Pavlovich told the DLN that there are no plans to raise tuition, but it is unclear where the funds needed will come from. This is an ambitious plan, and a necessary one. Students and parents should probably expect a hike in dues and fees in the near future. It is only fair that we help subsidize the improvements to the University for future generations, as past generations subsidized the improvements that allow us to live here comfortably today.
The $250 million price tag is quite large, and for that, the new residence halls should not only meet, but exceed expectations. They should be completed on time, unlike the addition to the Lawrence Dining Hall and unlike the new School of Music and Performing Arts.
Mainly, the buildings should be built so that they are respectable. Students should want to live there and the buildings should represent a new era of the University.
We look forward to seeing what comes of this. Most of us will have graduated by the time the new buildings are inhabited, but when our children are selecting the school that’s right for them, and we bring them to our alma mater, these new buildings will be worth the price we paid for them.