Officer’s Circle will be the site of the U’s newest form of student housing beginning in the fall of 2002. Ten houses will all be aligned with a particular academic track at the U.
The concept of theme housing is nothing new to universities across the country, but at the U, it is an exciting new prospect for students.
“The idea tweaked when we started renovating the area,” said Curtis Grow, associate director of residential living.
Built in the 1870s to house the families of officers in Fort Douglas, the other nine houses, located at the east end of Stillwell Field, have been vacant since 1991.
“Students who lived there absolutely loved it,” Grow said.
College of Humanities Assistant Dean Christian Anderson shares Grow’s optimism and excitement about the new housing opportunity.
“I think it’s going to be wonderful because the students will be living and studying together?I think the friendships they’ll make in that environment will go on for years,” Anderson said.
Anderson is currently accepting applications from students who want to live in the Tanner College of Humanities house. The college is offering a tour of its house from 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday.
The other houses already aligned are the Crocker Science house, the Cummings Honors house, the Eccles Business house, the Eccles Jones Fine Arts house and the Quinney Law house. Three houses have not yet been aligned.
Before a house can be aligned with a college, a minimum donation of $1 million must be made by an alumnus of that college. At least $750,000 is then spent on remodeling and renovating the house and the remaining money is spent on scholarships and other student incentives.
“We [will] have 12 students living in the house, and each one of them will receive a $1,000 scholarship,” Anderson said. “We really want this to be an academic experience that is rich and different from any other experience the students have had.”
Students in the humanities house must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and at least 24 credit hours in order to qualify. Additionally, every student needs two references and must write a short essay describing how living in the house would enrich his or her academic experience.
“We hope it’ll be an honor for students who live there,” Grow said.
One of the most unique aspects of theme housing is the interaction between residential living officials and the college. The Office of Residential Living will work jointly with colleges on student activities, but ORL will be in charge of maintenance and upkeep.
“We hope this will be a unique environment where students can support one another,” Grow said.
Initial renovations began in 1994 when the Kennecott Copper Company donated funds to the U to reopen one of the houses. Kennecott donated funds for one of the unaligned houses.
The Kennecott House was the blueprint used in renovating the other houses, according to Grow.
The single homes will house 12 to 14 students each, with four to six bathrooms in each unit. In addition, each house has seminar rooms and a dining and study room.
Though the Kennecott House has been occupied since 1994, it was shut down from 1999 to 2000 as construction began around the area.