By Quinta Goines

Students, faculty and staff at Troy University are awaiting the opening of the newest, most technologically advanced residence hall the campus has ever seen.

Construction is nearing its end on the new residence facility, being built in the same location as the former Alumni Hall, even though the new facility has yet to be named.

“Right now we are just calling it ‘New Hall.’ Said Derek Brewster, assistant dean of student services. “I was here when men occupied Alumni Hall, so I am excited to see both male and female students getting an opportunity to experience this upgrade for our campus.”

Construction began last summer and is scheduled to be complete before the fall 2015 semester begins in August. Original cost estimates for the facility were around $15.6 million.

University officials said the facility will be filled to capacity and the 420 students who live in the new dorm will have technology and resources to aid in academics right in their own living quarters as well as spaces for recreational activities.

Students moving in will be greeted with a 42-inch TV mounted on the wall and a full-sized bed in their rooms—two amenities not found in other campus housing options. The rooms also come with a chest of drawers, private bathroom area, closet space, small bookcase and desk and chair.

Dean of Student Service Herbert Reeves said the most common technology upgrade that sets this hall apart from the other residence halls is the TV system. Other dorms on campus operate under Troy Cable, but the TV package in each of the rooms in the new hall will have satellite service and offer more channels. Residents also will be able to use the screens as computer monitors and to connect gaming systems.

The new dorm will have more Wi-Fi connections throughout the building increasing the speed of Internet connection for everyone connected.

The co-ed hall features 358 single-occupancy rooms, 30 double rooms and 12 handicap accessible rooms. Assistant Director of Housing Sara Jo Burks said the fourth floor would have a large common area joining the male and female wings.

Double rooms are priced at $2,600, the single rooms start at $3,000 and the premium single rooms are $3,250. The premium single rooms provide 50 more square-feet in the floor plan.

“Students request single rooms and private bathrooms the most, so in the planning of the layout of the dorm our main request was to offer more single rooms.” Burks said.

The university will go back to the parking system used for Alumni Hall to accommodate drivers. The parking lot behind New Hall will be for its residents only, and the parking lot facing the dorm will be split between residents and commuters.

Two safe rooms will be included on the bottom floor of each wing in case of a weather emergency; the building will use the university’s key fob locking system, several surveillance cameras; and eight resident assistants as safety features.