Just west of the Indian River Towers lies the New Year Experience Hall. While showing great resemblance to Heritage Park Towers, there are some slight changes made on the inside. It will house up to 602 residents and have a multi-purpose room, computer lab and classrooms, but there’s more. Jill Eckardt, the director of housing and residential life, says there will be a convenient store inside the building. The store will be the first of its kind for on-campus residents.Another peculiarity of the new dorm is that it will house incoming freshmen only. “We are required to house all incoming freshmen,” Eckardt says. “It’s mandatory.”
According to the 2007-08 Academic Year Housing Brochure and Pricing Guide, there are three exemptions to this “requirement”: ? If you’re 21 years or older by the first day of class.? If you live with a parent/guardian within 50 miles of Boca campus.? If you’re married.
Eckardt estimates that the Board of Trustees will approve the budget for the building in May or June. Currently, prices for the new dorm show a significant increase to the other residence halls. For a double, they range from $3,199.24 to $3,248.85. A single is priced at $3,689.29. That’s a $497.04 increase from a single residing in Indian River Towers, which used to be the most expensive room. These prices are based on a per-person, per-semester rate.
Another new concept is that the department of housing and residential life is letting students choose the name of the new residence hall. Winners will receive a $500 scholarship for the 2007 summer or fall semester. Submissions are being taken via e-mail at [email protected] through Feb. 15.
The New Year Experience Hall is expected to open in August for the 2007-08 academic year, with a new name.
For more information about the new dorm, please call Jill Eckardt at (561) 297- 3904 or visit the official FAU Housing Web site.
New Hillel wing offers a hangout to all studentsThere’s a slightly new addition to the S.E. Wimberly library on the Boca campus. For those who were oblivious to the construction for the past year, the library has new neighbors.
The Mildred and Abner Levine and Ruth and Saul Weinberger Jewish Life Center opened officially at the beginning of the spring semester, and with a sigh of relief. Hillel Executive Director Darin Diner believes that it was only a matter of time before the Jewish organizations on campus received a home.
“FAU is becoming more and more of a traditional university,” Diner says, “Most major universities have their own Hillel [or Jewish Student Union] building on campus.”
The FAU Jewish Life Center serves as the first permanent home for Hillel and Jewish students in Broward and Palm Beach County. The Phyllis and Gerald Golden Pavilion is also part of the addition. While belonging to the Jewish Life Center, Diner says that it is open to all student groups and organizations. “It’s not just Jewish space. It’s campus space.”
Diner hopes that the center will serve as a home away from home for many students, regardless of their religion. “Anyone can come in, sit down, and hang out,” Diner says, “There’s a sense of comfort and pride that comes with it.”
For more information about Hillel and the Jewish Life Center, email Darin Diner at [email protected] or stop by at LY-3A.