Buildings Offline for a Year
Taking buildings offline and re-opening them when they’re needed again is a strategy that’s been used many times in the past to adjust for a fluctuating student population.
If we tried to occupy all buildings for Fall 2021, we would be projecting about 3000 vacancies across the system and at least a $2 million shortfall. The financial gap can be lessened by making some aspects of living on campus more attractive to students based on the feedback they provided about these changes and reducing our expenses by consolidating space use.
By closing buildings that aren’t needed, the financial health of the overall operation can be maintained so students can continue to be served well.
The following buildings will be taken offline for the 21-22 academic year.
However, if occupancy goes up for fall 2021, buildings would be brought back online and be in use for next year to ensure everyone has a place to live. Buildings would be re-opened if demand exceeds planned capacity. Student preferences would drive which building(s) would re-open.
| Building | Bed Spaces | Savings Realized by Closure |
| Wallace Hall | 544 | $634,236 |
| Wilson Hall | 544 | $641,580 |
| Oak-Elm Hall | 432 | $758,312 |
| Linden Hall | 312 | $514,057 |
Total savings: $2,548,185
Serving Students
No current students are impacted by taking Linden and Oak-Elm offline because they are both currently being used for isolation/quarantine COVID-19 housing.
Current students in Wallace and Wilson who want to return to campus next year have priority in selecting their space as outlined here.
Maintaining Staff
All current staff in Wallace and Wilson will be absorbed into other areas. No one will lose their job. This is due to frequent turnover in the impacted positions.