[March 08, 2006]

University of Southern Maine hopes to add a residence hall

(Portland Press Herald (Maine) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 4--At the beginning of last school year, Anderson Hall on the University of Southern Maine Gorham campus was one of many dorms that was literally packed with students.

Residential Adviser Rachel Bragan, 20, said she had six triple rooms on her floor, which is unusual because most of the rooms are for only two students.

The doubled-up and tripled-up rooms at Anderson and other dorms could become a thing of the past if a new residence hall gets approval from the Gorham Planning Board Monday.

"I'm so excited about it," she said. "To have another building with suites and apartments it would be a great addition to the Gorham campus."

The $21 million dorm will rise five stories and have 296 beds, suite-style rooms and wireless Internet throughout.

The planning board meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Gorham High School.

University officials say the new residence hall will help USM increase its population of full-time students while not enlarging the overall enrollment.

USM's student population is a mix of part-time and full-time students, some who fit the traditional college age and others who are older. The new dorm will attract those traditional students while also alleviating some of the crowding going on in the current dorms on the Gorham campus, said Denise Nelson, director of Residential Life for USM.

The total capacity for the university's dorms are 1,555 students, she said.

This fall the university was 107 people over capacity and turned away another 50 students.

Those who did find space in a dorm were put into single and double rooms with other students. In certain buildings, lounge space was converted into sleeping space, she said.

The last new dorm built, Philippi Hall, opened in 2001 and appealed to students who would have considered living off-campus, Nelson said.

Some of the features of the new residence hall will mirror those in Philippi, including suite and apartment-style rooms that accommodate up to four students. The building will also feature common areas, computer access and a special feature allowing students to go online and see where laundry machines are available.

An adjacent parking area will offer 193 spaces.

The new dorm -- which does not yet have a name -- will also be "green" said David Early, executive director of facilities management for the university.

That means it will be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as energy efficient.

With more capacity for students at the new residence hall, the university will be able to make much needed renovations and repairs to other dorms, Early said.

Excluding Robie-Andrews Hall, which was built separately in 1897 and 1916, the majority of residence halls were built in the 1960s and 1970s and need minor work, he said.

If the project is approved, it would go out to bid and work could begin as early as this summer.

Gorham's assistant town planner, Aaron Shields, said the plan for the dorm will fit in well with the rest of the campus and the town. What town officials were most concerned about was traffic. But the new parking lot is expected to fill an existing need for parking, so no additional traffic is expected.

Tom Edwards, a residential advisor at Philippi Hall, said the demand for nicer housing is already on campus. Each spring there is a lottery of sorts for students who want to live in Philippi, he said.

Students enjoy living in the building because it is in better condition and offers things like individual bathrooms and a level of privacy. Edwards, 29, said the style of the new dorm, with suites and apartments will prepare students for the next step after college.

"I think it's going to be real good," he said. "It's almost preparing residents for the next step for getting an apartment off campus."

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