The old Womack dorms are officially demolished, with MTSU and The Annex Group engaging in a $56 million public-private partnership to restore the building as Womack Commons.
The project, approved on Feb. 4, will be a five-to-six-story suite-style residence hall with several community living areas and some single-person rooms, Michelle J. Safewright, the Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life, said. The goal is to remain competitive with “sister schools” while also accommodating the growing number of students applying to live on campus, as the new building will house more than twice as many students as the original.
“It’s hopefully going to provide a bunch of different options for students based on what they’re looking for and [their] price points,” Safewright said.
The plan comes as waitlists for on-campus housing peak and off-campus housing prices rise, Safewright said. In Murfreesboro, rents rose about 3.4% month-over-month, signaling an upward trend.
“It’s just gotten more problematic,” Safewright said.
There is a catch: Womack Commons will be more expensive than other residential options on campus since it’s new and the campus is working with a company, Safewright said. The exact increase is unknown, but Safewright hopes the company and MTSU’s housing can set the price by July.
“The dorms are absolutely due for an upgrade here,” former Cummings resident Kaleb Toon said. ”I think that it’s a good thing if they’re putting forth the money and the time to update the facilities.”
Safewright revealed that a master plan is in the works to update more residential facilities on campus, as MTSU hasn’t revamped some of them in 20 years. But it depends on what The Annex Group suggests, she said.
Corlew resident Erin Ray hopes they’ll follow through with the plan. While Ray thinks Corlew is nice, she knows students who claim to experience dirty environments, bugs and mold. Toon also recalled students who alleged to mold in their dorms.
“I don’t think that’s very suitable for students on campus; we deserve better living conditions,” Ray said.
Students experiencing mold, pests or other issues in their residential areas should report them to Housing officials, Safewright said.
“We cannot fix what we are not aware of,” Safewright said. “We take mold very seriously and always include Environmental Health And Safety whenever we have a work order submitted for mold, who will do testing and advise on the best remediation procedures.”
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