Students and their family members battled heavy snow as Oregon State University Cascades’ 42 million dollar residence hall opened for move in this weekend.

The new building contains 300 beds, many lounge spaces, and fully-equipped kitchens for students of the University who plan to attend the Bend campus and any surrounding campuses in Central Oregon. The building also offers a more luxurious suite for students who desire apartment-style living conditions while still reaping the benefits of an on-campus lifestyle.

Although the residence hall offers 300 beds, only 70 of those beds have been filled at this time. The majority of the students moving into the new residence hall were previously temporarily living in in Juniper Hall on the Central Oregon Community College campus.

“It’s nice to not have to commute anymore.” said first year student Austin Smith.

However, the building is not 100 percent complete. Construction workers were still putting the final touches together as students began to move into their dorms.

The building also contains a retail space on the first level of the residence building that has not been leased yet and is therefore incomplete.

“Today we are really getting to test the functionality of the building with the students actually living in it.” said Christine Coffin, director of communications and outreach for OSU-Cascades. They also had construction workers on hand to solve any problems that did come up.

Alongside the residence hall is the new dining hall, named “The Beaver Dam” by faculty and students. The dining hall will serve a variety of healthy, fresh, and locally sourced foods for all students attending OSU-Cascades.

Coffin mentioned that she doesn’t believe the opening of the residence hall will increase any complaints or friction between businesses or homeowners in the area. OSU-Cascades is still working with facilities around the area to cease any friction regarding student parking.

The new addition to OSU-Cascades was funded by revenue bonds held by OSU. The revenue bonds will be paid back by revenues generated by use of the various facilities. The project has also been said to be stimulating local economic activity.

Coffin mentioned that she loves the family atmosphere that has been created between the small group of students who transitioned from Juniper Hall into the new residence hall. She stated that OSU-Cascades staff members are excited to witness the growth of the hall and the growth of OSU-Cascades as a whole.

Mckayla Schneider | The Broadside

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