News
Goshen College Student Housing
Goshen College Expands, Renovates Student Housing
Posted: 02/01/2008
Published: 2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM, The Elkhart Truth By: Jodi Magallanes Photographs by Jennifer Shephard
GOSHEN -- The options for student housing continue to grow at Goshen College. The college Thursday had an open house to mark completion of a new four-story, 41-suite apartment building for upperclassmen as well as renovations to the four existing residence halls on campus. Staff members, students and area residents were invited to tour the new building, which can accommodate 157 upperclassmen. The suites vary from two to four bedrooms, with fourth-floor apartments featuring design elements such as spiral staircases leading to loft living areas. Phase One of the building project, begun in 2002, consisted of building a portion of the new apartment building, which was immediately occupied, as well as renovations to Coffman, Kulp, Kratz and Yoder residence halls. A connector building was built between the four existing halls. That structure houses a coffee bar and several areas for student relaxation and study. The residence halls saw remodeling of bathrooms and kitchens, an improved heating system and the addition of air-conditioning, as well as new windows and sprinkler systems.
The northward expansion of the new apartment building was Phase Two, and included an elevator to provide ADA accessibility, a main entrance and a two-story townhouse-style unit for the apartment manager. The new suites will be occupied for the first time this fall. All units are hard-wired for Internet and cable to satisfy the technological needs of the students, but with an eye toward the college's environmental conscience, a few other considerations were incorporated as well.
Glen Gilbert, utilities manager for the college, said that since the first section of the apartment building opened in 2005, it has proven to be the least expensive residence area to operate because of the energy-efficient construction standards which were chosen for the project. "It's more consistent with our ethos at the college," Gilbert said.
Goshen College also worked with contractor Ancon Construction of Goshen to recycle much of the debris from the construction process, reduce the use of harmful glues and maximize natural lighting with low energy windows. An interface carpet was chosen because it can be replaced in pieces when necessary instead of ripping up the entire hallway and is cradle-to-cradle recycled.
The addition of the new, yet-unnamed apartment building contributes to the spectrum of housing possibilities that the college has been trying to achieve. "You have multiple options (for housing) throughout your years at Goshen College," said Bill Born, vice president for student life and dean of students. Those options can accommodate 830 students as of this fall. Goshen College had 617 students living on campus last year, in residence halls, rental homes and a few in the first section of suites, and enrollment is on the rise, according to Born. Junior Celesta Torok really appreciates the size of her new space. "Knowing we have more room to go to has been a big stress reliever, actually," she said. Torok moved from Kulp Hall into the first section of the new apartment building when it was completed last year. Senior Jeff Hochstetler likes having access to his own kitchen, which he shares with five roommates, but there are other perks too, he said. "It's more independent living, but it's still close to friends."
Stopping by to see the finished product, nearby resident Gaye Lehman noted the size of the suites and their appointments."I've just been watching this go up and wanted to come take a look, she said. "I'm impressed with it. This is huge."
