Students at Montclair State University had a new dorming option this fall thanks to a public-private partnership, and while Seton Hall cannot boast a new dorm, many of the amenities found in the complex are similar to those Seton Hall residents already receive.
The complex, called "The Heights," offers suite-style living with double occupancy, either configured as two single rooms with one bathroom, or a double occupancy room with one bathroom, said Dominic Petruzelli, Montclair's executive director of residence education and services.
The Heights also offers a residential dining facility within one of its complexes and more smart classroom and lounge space for students, Petruzelli said.
According to the school's website, The Heights can house up to 1,978 students, and Petruzelli said the project was undertaken out of a need for more housing.
"With a growing enrollment of in-state and out-of-state students there was an increasing demand for more housing on campus," Petruzelli said.
Petruzelli added that other dormitory complexes at Montclair have the suite style of The Heights, while some are a more traditional residential-style dorm.
While Seton Hall did not build a new dorm to accommodate any increase in housing demands, the University does have a plan in the event of student overflow.
"Two years ago, we signed a contact with University Centre in Newark to provide overflow housing to students on our wait list," said Cheryl Janus, assistant director for housing services. "While this is not a public residence hall, it's an apartment building designed to support the housing needs of all the local schools."
Additionally, the majority of Seton Hall's dorms: Xavier, Cabrini, Aquinas, Neumann and Serra are suite-style, like in The Heights, with one, two, or three single, double or triple occupancy rooms attached to a bathroom. Boland Hall, a freshmen dorm, offers both residential and suite-style dorming, according to the University's website.
The University also offers apartment-style living off-campus with Ora and Turrell Manor, and these apartments include bedroom(s), a bathroom, living area and kitchen. These living options, however, cost more than the campus residence halls.
Eating within the on-campus dorms at Seton Hall, however, is limited to vending machines and any snacks or microwaveable foods the students bring themselves.
For meals, unlike at The Heights, students must travel to the school's University Center, which offers the Galleon Dining Room and the Pirate's Cove.
According to Janus, the basement of Boland Hall used to include a dining hall.
"The space in the dining hall now is a larger space that encourages community building outside of the residence halls," Janus said.
All of Seton Hall's dormitories, as with The Heights, are wireless, according to the schools' websites.
Senior Carolyn Taggert, who lives in Xavier, said if Seton Hall were ever to build another dorm, she would like it to have a common area with space for couches.
The 2009 Economic Stimulus Act allowed Montclair to bring in private companies to finance and run new campus facilities, according to an article in the Star-Ledger. The article stated that the Legislature-approved process allowed the school to sidestep a public bidding process, which state-run schools must normally use when constructing new facilities.
According to Montclair State University's website, The Heights' developer is Capstone Development of Birmingham, Ala.
Caitlin Carroll can be reached at caitlin.carroll@student.shu.edu
