SOUTHEAST LOOKS AT CLOSING TOWERS NORTH FOR RENOVATION

Southeast Missouri State University wants to move all of the approximately 350 students out of Towers North residence hall by Jan. 10 so work can proceed on renovating the building.

Whether the move is made rests with the Towers North students, said Paul Carr, residence life director.

Carr said students will vote by way of a questionnaire scheduled to be distributed Thursday night. The votes will be tallied today and the results announced at a meeting with students, scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday in the Towers cafeteria.

University officials, including President Kala Stroup and Carr, met Wednesday night in Towers cafeteria with about 300 Towers North students.

At the meeting many students expressed unhappiness over the idea of moving out of the residence hall in the middle of the school year.

"Moving, in general, is just a hassle," Kimberly Freyer, who lives on Towers North 8th Floor, said Thursday.

She said it's inconvenient to move out now. "They (university officials) don't understand that it is our home they are discussing," said Freyer.

But Carr said the administration understands the students' concerns.

"It's not like we are dealing with widgets here. We are dealing with human beings," he said.

"The president made it clear last night at the meeting that if students did not support it it would not happen," Carr said Thursday.

If a majority of the students support the move, students will be moved to vacant rooms in other residence halls for the spring semester.

Students could begin moving to vacant rooms in other residence halls as early as Nov. 29, Carr said. But he added that students also could wait until early January to make the move, if they so desire.

Towers West is currently being renovated, with traditional dorm rooms being replaced with a suite arrangement. Work on the residence hall, part of the four-building Towers complex, had been scheduled to be completed by next summer.

At that time Towers North would be shut down for similar, yearlong renovations.

But the Towers West work is proceeding at a faster pace than expected, said Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast. As a result, officials with Sverdrup Corp. of St. Louis, the architectural firm managing the project, have recommended starting renovation work on Towers North on Jan. 10, the start of the spring semester.

Renovation work would then proceed in both buildings, with the structures ready for occupancy by Aug. 15, Wallhausen said.

"Clearly, there are some advantages to moving people out and doing the renovations early," said Carr.

"My understanding is that there would be some cost savings, both in terms of operational costs this year and in construction costs in terms of renovations," he said. It's estimated the savings would amount to about $250,000.

"Having 550 renovated beds on line in August is certainly more appealing to me than having 275," said Carr.

"I think it will be better for recruitment purposes and provide more options for students if we can do this," he said.

Carr said room-and-board hikes are likely for all campus residence halls next school year, but the cost will be higher if the mid-school-year move is not made.

University officials have estimated the added cost could be around $150 for every campus resident.

Carr said all of the Towers North students can be accommodated in other residence halls and that an effort will be made to keep a particular floor or "community" of students together where possible.

He said university personnel would help the Towers North students move their belongings and that the students could get first priority in moving back into the renovated residence hall next August.

"I can't wait to get into the new Towers," said Freyer. "I think that's great, but I don't really think it's worth all the hassle now."

While she doesn't like the idea of moving out, Freyer said that after listening to the explanations of university officials, she could accept it.