Fairfield University has a reputation for having a well-kept and beautiful campus. However, the spacious atmosphere may be altered with a new residence hall.
The addition may be made in the quad, the village or possibly next to the Dolan School of Business.
The planning process is still in the basic stages during which changes are possible.
“Style is an important factor that plays into the construction and location of the building,” said William Lucas, vice president of Finance and Administration.
The available styles are a dormitory structure that accommodates more students or a building that resembles the apartment complex.
“The apartment complex is built on wet land, and it is currently dealing with the mold problems,” said Mollie Flanagan ’07. “I do not think it is feasible to make an addition to the existing problems that we are unable to resolve.”
The townhouse design will not be a possibility because of the low ratio of accommodations and the high surface area.
“The construction project from beginning to end can possibly last up to two or three years,” said Lucas.
“Fairfield should concentrate more about the conditions of the residence halls rather than making additions to the campus,” said Rebecca Valencia ’06.
Fairfield is weighing the options of each of the different building structures in an attempt to create the best resolution to the overcrowding.
An apartment design would be more appealing to upperclassmen in comparison to a residence hall, which would probably accommodate more underclassmen.
“The parking situation for the village is horrible as is,” said Flanagan. “The university does not need something that will become complete chaos.”
“The Quick Center is constantly having events that close off the available parking spaces even to village residents,” she added. “Adding a new residence will only create more parking problems.”
Smita Balakrishna ’06 feels that the University should consider building the residence hall in the Village.
“The university should be dealing with the issue of the over-crowded class of 2009, and building a new residence hall in the Village is a good way to prepare for when the class will become seniors,” said Balakrishna.
Regardless of the available space, the rate of accepted students will not dramatically increase.
“We monitor our enrollment and housing capacity on a regular basis,” said Mark Reed, associate vice president and dean of students.
“I do not want this new residence hall to restrict future senior classes’ option to live off-campus at the beach,”said Valencia.
“By far this is a much more logical project than the administration building, which does not resolve the size of the current freshman class,” said Balakrishna.
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