Housing options increase with student body
By Whitney Yount
As the number of students enrolled at High Point University continues to increase, concerns have been spreading through the student body about the availability of campus housing for every student and the rising cost of living on campus.
According to Gail Tuttle, Vice President for Student Life, there is no need to worry: there is definitely enough campus housing for each student enrolled at HPU this year. In addition, the Office of Student Life continues to work on adding affordable options for upperclassmen that don’t want to spend the extra money on housing after freshman year.
“We have increased standard housing options every year with the addition of beds in university owned homes, as well as other options in Yadkin, Finch, and North,” said Tuttle. “We continue to assess this area.”
Tuttle also said that the housing prices are determined by the university administration, and that they must be approved by the Board of Trustees as well.
Because the number of students at HPU keeps increasing, additional housing has been built in recent years. This fall, the highly anticipated Centennial Square is opening. This new property will be the home-away-from-home for 348 students who will be living in seven-person townhomes.
“We had high demand for our newest property and wanted to provide this opportunity for as many students as possible,” said Tuttle. “Our team recognized the ability to place two versus one individuals in the lay-out of the room.”
The three-floor townhomes are very spacious. On the lower level, there is a living room, large kitchen, guest bathroom, laundry room. Each unit houses seven students, and collectively the townhomes house 349 students in 11 major buildings.
Outside, each of the townhomes has a large outdoor table, with a chair for every student who lives there.
Each student living in the new facility will also have access to Centennial Square Center, which will include a study area, gym facility, and post office.
“We are so excited to continue our ability to offer a residential experience where most all needs are contained in one area,” said Tuttle. “From physical fitness to study areas, it’s all right there for the convenience of our students.”
Student Life is still working on using the waitlists for Centennial Square and other residential areas to make sure that each student ends up living in a dorm that they are comfortable in. Tuttle expects the waitlists, especially for the new property, to increase once everyone returns to campus for this semester.
“We always keep in mind the invaluable feedback from our students when designing every new residential community,” she said. “We want to achieve the outcome that our students want and this is ultimately what we have at Centennial Square.”
