NC State basketball players will have access to a new athletic residence hall, predicted to open in the 2018-19 school year.
This new living space for men and women basketball players will be named Case Commons Residence Hall. Its purpose is to relocate the players to a central location on campus, allowing them the opportunity to take full advantage of all aids and facilities available on college grounds.
The budget for this project is estimated at $15 million. The cost per bed is estimated at $240,000. The cost per bed at the average dormitory is between $50,000 and $70,000.
“We wanted to publicly state that this project is privately funded by the Wolfpack Club,” said Chris Boyer, senior associate athletic director for External Relations at NC State. “We wanted to make sure students knew this wouldn’t affect any student fees.”
“While the money isn’t coming from student’s pockets,” Boyer said, he understands the concern that the NC State community may have over the potential cost of such a project. Boyer clarified that “$15 million is just a number someone threw out.” An exact figure won’t be available until a designer is hired this fall.
While there is no designer on board yet for the project, Boyer confirmed that the residence hall will have 62 beds, with just over half available to non-athletes. The application process for these rooms is unknown at this time.
Students have expressed speculation regarding the necessity of the dorm.
“I’m not sure we need a whole dorm designed for [basketball players] even if other students will live there,” said Alex Gay, a junior studying mechanical engineering. “A lot of players seem to move to off-campus apartments and housing, but if it’s not coming out of my tuition, have at it.”
Other students suggested more practical uses for the money.
“If I had $15 million, I would definitely use it to make WebAssign free for all students,” said Louis Motew, a sophomore studying textile engineering. “I pay $25-$30 per class.”
The targeted area of construction for Case Commons is the parking lot east of The Case Athletic Support Facility. Because this is a relatively small lot, the residence hall will just contain room lodgings, with a few common areas. There will be no weight room, basketball court or any other athletic facilities in the building.
The residence hall will be a short walk from all the facilities the players use daily. Women players benefit even more, being seconds away from their home court, Reynolds Coliseum.
The hall will house only men’s and women’s basketball players in its available beds. There are no plans yet for potential housing for football, soccer, baseball or any other Wolfpack sports.
If this move is successful, Boyer said other sports teams could receive on-campus housing options in the future.
