MUNCIE, Ind. –About 550 Ball State students moving into DeHority Complex this fall will find the only thing that’s remained the same inside the newly renovated, spacious residence hall is its concrete foundation. After two years of construction, the $30-million project has been completed and a ceremony scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at the residence hall will mark its grand reopening.
New features inside the 125,000-plus-square-foot facility include a main lounge area with plush furnishings to help unify the student experience, a centrally located desk, and the presence of striking artwork created by Ball State students and purchased specifically for DeHority, a residence hall that originally opened in 1960. Technology labs, a fitness room, laundry room using card readers, game room and video editing room add to the impressive list of DeHority’s amenities.
“With everything that’s been done, our aim has been to enhance the collegiate experience for students while they’re living here on campus,” said Alan Hargrave, associate vice president for student affairs and director of housing and residence life. “In addition to the main lounge, there will be numerous gathering points for students to come together, meet new friends and enjoy the residence hall experience.”
The four-floor residence hall has 284 student rooms that can accommodate about 550 students. The majority of the units are double rooms. Instead of one communal bathroom per floor, students share smaller restrooms with fewer people. The change in design reflects students’ desires for more privacy while living on campus, Hargrave explained.
DeHority Complex will serve the living needs of students enrolled in Ball State’s Honors College, which moved from its previous facility in Carmichael Hall on the far north side of campus to the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Honors House located near DeHority. An open house for the new Ball Honors House is scheduled for Oct. 16.
With the renovations, DeHority Complex is designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification or better, Hargrave said. The rating system addresses six categories of building attributes: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design processes. The LEED certification of DeHority would mark completion of yet another building on campus that meets a key objective of Ball State’s strategic plan while also re-enforcing the university’s commitment to the environment.
The reopening of DeHority Complex is the latest in a series of construction projects Ball State is undertaking to improve residence hall options for students. In 2007, the university opened Park Hall, the first new residence hall to be built on campus since 1969. And in fall 2010, Ball State will open the doors to its second new residence hall, Thomas J. Kinghorn Residence Hall. The $35.6 million project will house about 600 students when completed.
