Wild Commons is set to open in August 2018, just in time for the upcoming school year. It is the first new residence hall on campus in 50 years. It includes various state-of-the-art facilities, totaling around $108 million to build Wild, according to the university website.
The dorm will have a total of 890 beds that will be set up in a pod style.
“Primarily, the floor is set up in pods – 18 beds per pod. It is primarily (double rooms), but there are a few singles scattered throughout the building,” Kathy Kugi-Tom, the university’s project manager for the new residence hall, said.
This dorm style will group roughly 18 individuals together. Kugi-Tom said students living in pods will share a common bathroom space and study area.
“Most of the pod groupings are a mix of single and double rooms,” Kugi-Tom said.
The dorm is made up of two separate towers. “T Tower will have two pods per floor, or 36 students per floor. The L Hall (building along 18th and Wells Streets) will have four pods total per floor. Two groupings along Wells Street and two groupings along 18th Street – so 72 students per floor, roughly,” Kugi-Tom said.
The exact numbers of freshman and sophomore beds are still unknown.
“That decision will be made by early to mid-February,” Mary Janz, the executive director of residence life, said. The housing selection process takes place in March.
Rising sophomores were invited to attend a housing information session Feb. 12. Clare Lumetta, a freshman in the College of Business Administration, said she was glad she attended the session.
“It was helpful because it gave us a clearer idea of how we sign up because it is different than it was our freshman year,” Lumetta said.
Besides housing, the new residence hall will contain other resources and amenities that will be available to all students.
“The building will have lounges, a chapel, an interfaith space, a practice room, and two classroom-type spaces. The theater stairs will be a really neat gathering point for our campus. The exterior courtyard will be a really great gathering space for students,” Kugi-Tom said.
The dining hall will be open 24-hours and allergen-free. It will include eight platforms or venues. The layout of the space is similar to a food court or to mini-restaurant venues, Kugi-Tom said.
Olivia Smith, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, is currently a resident assistant in McCormick Hall. Smith just received a position in Wild.
Because the hall is in its last year, the RAs in McCormick have to transfer dorms if they wish to continue workings as RAs.
“I feel like Wild is a good step in the right direction for me personally,” Smith said. “Wild will be co-ed by door and will also have freshman and sophomores. I will not only have mixed ages, but mixed genders, which will challenge me in building my community and connecting with a more diverse community.”
Smith said she is also excited about the air conditioning and how less people will be using the bathrooms, due to the pod set up.
She believes most of the RAs from Mccormick will be pursuing Wild Commons next year, she said.
“If McCormick wasn’t coming down, I would probably want to stay with my staff though and not transfer,” Smith said.
Molly Stark, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, is an RA in McCormick as well. She said she became an RA to help freshman transition into college, and she is excited about the prospect of a new dorm.
“I think a lot of returning RAs and new RAs will want to be in Wild because it’s just a cool new experience,” Stark said.
