Below you’ll find answers to all of your questions for the North Campus Village. If you have a question and don’t see the answer, send email to housing@sou.edu and we’ll be sure to find the answer and add your question to this website.
Q: What is the North Campus Village?
Q: When will the new buildings in the North Campus Village open?
Q: How do I sign-up to live in the North Campus Village?
Q: I live near the construction and have a question or compliant, who can I speak with?
Q: Where can I park near Greensprings & McNeal?
Q: How big will the North Campus Village be?
Q: What happened to all of the trees where the new buildings are located?
Q: With all the budget cuts at SOU and increased tuition, how can we afford to pay for the North Campus Village?
Q: With so many people living in the North Campus Village, how will everyone safely cross Siskiyou Blvd. to get to the academic core of campus?
Q: Why do we need to build new residence halls and a dining center? What’s wrong with Cascade Hall?
Q: What will happen to Cascade Hall after the North Campus Village opens?
Q: How sustainable will the North Campus Village be?
A: The North Campus village consists of two new residence halls, North Hall (suite style for upper class students), South Hall (semi-suite style for first & second year students) and a new dining commons. Along with these new building, it also includes the existing Greensprings Residence Hall and McNeal Athletic Pavilion.
Q: When will the new buildings in the North Campus Village open?
A: The north & south residence hall along with the new dining commons will all open in September 2013, ready for the 2013-14 academic year!
Q: How do I sign-up to live in the North Campus Village?
A: First priority for living in the North Campus Village will be given to all residents that currently live in the residence hall and sign-up to return for next year. Priority will then be given to first year students that live in the residence halls next year. Finally, any new SOU students. Housing resignups in April 2013 will be when students can start reserving their room in the new buildings.
Q: I live near the construction and have a question or compliant, who can I speak with?
A: All construction related questions or complaints can be directed to SOU Facilities, Management, & Planning. You can call them directly at 541.552.6879 or via email fmp@sou.edu. We will do our best to respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible.
Q: Where can I park near Greensprings & McNeal?
A: The closest parking to Greensprings & McNeal will be in Lot 1 & Lot 3. Both parking lots have been charged from Green, to Green & Red lots, allowing any student to park in them. A new parking lot will be opened on the eastside of the North Campus Village in the Fall of 2013.
Q: How big will the North Campus Village be?
A: The North Suite Residence Hall will be 89,651 sq. ft. The South Semi-Suite Residence Hall will be 106,454 sq. ft. The dining commons will be 27,511 sq. ft. The total sq. ft. of the project is 223,616, making this one of the largest construction project in SOU history.
Q: What happened to all of the trees where the new buildings are located?
A: While some trees and shrubs did have to be removed, all are being recycled or used for mulch & firewood. Several trees, including a silver maple, were saved and will play prominent roles in the landscaping plan. The silver maple tree will be the center piece of the quad between the north and south halls.
Q: With all the budget cuts at SOU and increased tuition, how can we afford to pay for the North Campus Village?
A: SOU University Housing is an auxiliary, which means we do not receive a single dollar from tuition or the state, all money is raised by people that use our services (students that live on-campus). Additionally, the North Campus Village is a public/private partnership between SOU, American Campus Communities which specializes in building university student housing, and the Collegiate Housing Foundation. Student room rent will cover the annual bond payment for the buildings, resulting in the University not taking on any debt.
Q: With so many people living in the North Campus Village, how will everyone safely cross Siskiyou Blvd. to get to the academic core of campus?
A: As part of the planning and approval process with the city of Ashland, we were required to complete a traffic study, which was done by Kittelson & Associates, as a result of that traffic study, there will be many changes to the intersection of Siskiyou Blvd and Wightman/Indiana Streets. These changes include timing for the stop light, and a new crosswalk that reduces the distance to cross the intersection. These changes will improve safety at the intersection and reduce the wait for both pedestrians and motorists.
Q: Why do we need to build new residence halls and a dining center? What’s wrong with Cascade Hall?
A: Cascade Hall was built in the 1950′s. Over the last 60 years its infrastructure has started to fail. Cascade Hall uses over 60% of the steam heat generated on-campus. A study done to explore the cost of renovating Cascade Hall showed it was cost prohibitive to do the necessary renovations for the residential and dining spaces. The North Campus Village will provide additional residential rooms and a state of the art dining commons, all while helping reduce SOU’s carbon footprint and energy use.
Q: What will happen to Cascade Hall after the North Campus Village opens?
A: It is cost prohibitive to renovate Cascade Hall. Once the North Campus Village is opened, Cascade will be decommissioned and eventually it will be demolished. However, the plans do not call for Cascade Hall to be immediately demolished, so it will be part of the SOU landscape for a year or two after the North Campus Village is opened. However, it will no longer have any utilities going into the building, saving the University the steam, water, and electricity that would be used in the building.
Q: How sustainable will the North Campus Village be?
A: The goal is for the North Campus Village to be rated gold by the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). As part of this effort, each building is designed to be as energy efficient as possible. This includes using recycled materials and having solar panels on the roofs of each of the residential buildings for water heating. You can download a complete list of sustainable features for the project.