New Carroll Dorms Move-in Ready

The finishing touches are being put on the newest Carroll University residence hall, Frontier Hall, in preparation for the early move-in of some students this Thursday.

The students are excited to be the first group to live in the new hall, according to Ron Lostetter, vice president of finance and administrative services at Carroll University.

The building, located at Grand Avenue near College Avenue, contains 231 apartment-style rooms on four floors.

Each apartment has three, four or five bedrooms which are about 10 by 10 feet each; one or two bathrooms; a living room; and a kitchenette with a fridge and microwave. Also included is wi-fi, cable and telephone service for each apartment. In keeping with dorm tradition, though, the rooms are furnished with a standard-issue bed, desk and dresser for each bedroom.

Also on each floor is a full kitchen, common space, study room and laundry rooms.

“We wanted areas for students to congregate as groups but still have private areas,” Lostetter said.

A recent tour of the residence building showed that the rooms do not feel like traditional, old-style dorms, with high ceilings, bright windows and walk-in closets.

The upscale-feel of the building and amenities have become the new norm for new college dorms.

“It’s what today’s college students, and their parents, expect,” Lostetter said.

But the cost of staying in the new building isn’t inexpensive. For a semester, a single in a quad suite is $2,876 compared to $2,300 for a single in a tradition hall.

“It’s priced according to the amenities,” Lostetter said.

Across a green space is Pioneer Hall, which has a fitness center for students from both buildings. In the lower level of Frontier Hall will be restaurant, expected to be open in September and with an outdoor patio. The restaurant will be open to the general public, too, not just college students.

Frontier Hall has 115 stalls of underground parking for non-freshman students.

Although close to the railroad tracks, Lostetter doesn’t expect that trains will be an issue for students, based on the fact that the units closest to the tracks were built with extra insulation. He also has heard from a student living in Pioneer Hall in a corner unit not far away from the railroad tracks that the trains weren’t a problem for him, probably because he got used to it.

The new building has allowed Carroll to grow.

“We couldn’t have added students without adding beds,” Lostetter said.

This year, they expect a record number of incoming freshman. However, only a small number of the freshman will be in Frontier Hall.

With 1,800 students staying on campus, the university will start the year with 103 percent occupancy, expecting a little attrition to end up with 100 percent occupancy, Lostetter said.

Official move-in day at Carroll University is Friday, Aug. 26, for new students and Sunday, Aug. 28, for returning students.

Commercial space below the residence hall is being developed by Clysmic Properties LLC. The Accurate Transmission building on the corner of Grand and College avenues is slated for demolition and will be a green space for the time being, according to Lostetter.