Construction of three new residence halls and renovations to existing campus housing facilities are expected to be at or near completion by the beginning of August.

New Residence Halls

According to Eugene Dial, vice president for student affairs and enrollment services, the three new residence halls will be completed before students arrive on campus in the fall. Landscaping around the halls will be completed after the fall semester begins.

Scholars Hall, located across from the cafeteria, will be able to house 212 students. This hall is designated for students in the University Honors Program and scholarship recipients.

Hall B is located next to the tennis courts and Hall C is next to Bowie Road adjacent to Hall B. These halls will be able to house a total of 194 students each. Hall B has been designated as a service learning community and Hall C has been designated for international students and students needing housing during breaks between academic terms.

Each suite will consist of two private or semi-private bedrooms. The private bedrooms will have individual doors for each bedroom. The semi-private bedrooms will have a wall that separates the two bedrooms.

A microwave oven and mini refrigerator will be installed in each suite. The new residence halls will also have media rooms, computer labs and study rooms.

Existing Residence Halls

The lobby of Calecas Hall has been renovated to serve as the headquarters for University Police.

The windows in Calecas Hall will be replaced with windows that are energy efficient and vinyl paneling will be added to parts of the building.

Portions of Babington hall will be converted into office space. The building currently houses the Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program.

According to Dial, Career Services, currently located near the ballroom in the student union, and Upward Bound, currently located in Meade Hall, will be moved into Babington Hall.

La Maison du Bayou

The renovations to La Maison du Bayou apartment complex have been completed.

According to Dial, all flooring and broken appliances have been replaced. The carpeting was replaced with wood laminate flooring and ceramic tile.

The University ordered extra furniture and appliances, which will be placed in storage. When a piece of furniture or an appliance breaks, it will be replaced with one from storage, Dial said. Students will not have to wait for the item to be ordered and then shipped to the University.

“Students have to let us know right away if something is broken,” Dial said.

According to Dial, the University will determine if the furniture or appliance broke due to wear and tear or abuse. Students will be billed for furniture and appliances that are broken through abuse, Dial said.

To ensure that each housing unit is maintained properly, the University will conduct monthly cleaning inspections of all rooms, Dial said.

Sample bedroom of the residence hall across from Galliano Cafeteria. (University Relations)

Bathroom area of a suite inside Scholars’ Hall. The hall is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 1 and the halls on Bowie Road are scheduled to be completed by Aug. 8. (University Relations)