With the new residence hall completion nearing, the fate of Juniper Hall remains unclear.

“What I do know is that Juniper Hall will not be used as housing,” said Housing Coordinator Paul Wheeler.

The new residence hall will have increased amenities in comparison to Juniper Hall, according to Wheeler. These range from improved wireless to a community kitchen and study rooms in addition to an elevator for all five floors.

Katie Noyed, Juniper Hall Resident Assistant, added, “I am very excited. Juniper Hall was built earlier on; I think having a new addition to the campus will be wonderful. I am most excited for the non-communal bathrooms.”

The amenities being added to the new residence hall will be a potential selling point for new students, according to Drew Jones, Assistant Director of Admissions and Records-Recruitment and Outreach

“COCC has always been known as one of the few community colleges with on-campus housing. It’s important for COCC to keep on-campus housing going. The residence hall gives us a sense of community that is important to the students,” Jones said. “With anything new on campus comes a new set of challenges; Juniper Hall has many years of tradition that the new residence hall will create on its own,” Jones said.

Along with sense of community, logistics would come into play, Jones explained.

“In the last 10 years, COCC’s enrollment has doubled. We’re just now starting to see it level out. With that spike in enrollment came a lot of growth,” Jones said.

The campus will also change from a geographical standpoint, according to Jones.

“Previously, students who lived on campus were separated from the ‘hub’ of campus,” Jones said. “With a new residence hall students will not only eat, study, and play, but also live in this central location. This is an exciting time; I can’t wait to see the first class of students make their home in the new residence hall.”

Tanner Scheibner | The Broadside

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