New Modern Dorms at ESU

By Kelly North (Email Kelly at: kln2654@live.esu.edu)
SC Photography Editor & Asst. News Editor

A shot of the fourth floor study lounge in Hemlock Suites. Kelly North/SC Photography Editor & Asst. News Editor

This spring semester, students attending East Stroudsburg University have the opportunity to move into new suite-style dorms constructed to replace Hawthorne Hall and Hemlock Hall. Each new building, accessible by scanning an E-Card at the door, offers different room types.

Unit Type A, costing $3250 per semester for each student, is listed as a two-person semi-suite with a double occupancy bedroom. Each Type A room includes a shared kitchenette and a shared bathroom.

Unit Type B, which costs $3575 per semester for each occupant, is listed as a two-person semi-suite with two single-occupancy bedrooms. Type B rooms come equipped with a kitchenette, a dining area, and a shared bathroom. Cory Wickward, a student living in a Type B suite, said, “I like the new dorms. They give you more conveniences and privacy than the older dorms gave you.”

Unit Type C, costing $3425 per semester for each person, is a four-person suite holding two double-occupancy rooms. The four occupants are offered a living room, kitchenette, and two bathrooms to share.

Unit Type D, which costs $4000 per semester for each student, is a four-person suite offering four single-occupancy bedrooms. These rooms include a living room, kitchenette, and two bathrooms for the occupants to share.

Unit Type E, which can only be seen in the Hawthorne Suites, costs $4320 per semester for each occupant. E Units are two-person suites offering two single-occupancy bedrooms. Each suite includes a living room, a kitchenette, and a shared bathroom.
In addition to the amenities offered by each room type, the new dorms offer the ability to control one’s own heat and air conditioning, as well as wall-to-wall carpeting and full Wi-Fi. They also offer laundry facilities and study lounges on each floor. Also on each floor is a full kitchen with a stove and full-size refrigerator, in addition to the kitchenettes.

“The new dorms are quieter and more peaceful,” said Joanna Tieso, a student living in the new suites. “They just seem homier than the old dorms were.”

According to David Campbell, Associate Director of Residence Life, there is still some construction to be done. Building A will be receiving pool tables and special lighting. When asked about Hawthorne and Hemlock Residence Halls, Campbell stated that “plans for the demolition of the old buildings are underway, but nothing is final.”

Plans for the demolition of the police station are also being debated, with thoughts of putting a new police station in the Hemlock Suites after spring break. The Hemlock Suites also include residence offices.

The Hawthorne Suites also offer a spin studio and an alternative Recreation Center, accessible to all students with a membership to the original Recreation Center.
However, the amenities offered by the new suites are not appealing to all students. Becky Lausch, a student living in Laurel Hall stated, “I’m not paying two grand more a semester to live farther away from food, friends, and classes. I’m staying in Laurel.”  Other students, however, believe there is some attraction to the freedom of living in an apartment-type dorm closer to campus.

The Suites, which are almost up to full student capacity, will still be undergoing some finishing touches in the time to come.

A shot of the main lounge in Hemlock and the doors students aren’t allowed to use to get to the outside patio. Kelly North/SC Photography Editor & Asst. News Edito