Waterview’s construction of Phase VIII B aims to accommodate UTD’s growing freshman class before it bursts at the seams.

Robert Lovitt, vice-president for business affairs, said the construction is scheduled for completion in early August 2004. The cost is estimated at $4 million and will increase Phase VIII’s capacity by 216 beds bringing the total to approximately 900.

The new construction should accommodate the size of future freshman classes, said Kim Winkler, assistant dean of students. The added living space will serve to enhance the student body, she said.

“The more people you have living on campus, the more student life (and) the more people you have getting involved on campus,” Winkler said. “Those typically correlate with one another so that can only help, too.”

In addition to housing more freshmen, the three new apartment buildings will create six more positions for student Peer Advisors (PAs), adding student jobs on campus, Winkler said.

Residential Life Coordinator Lisa Garza said she feels the increased program size of the PAs would be a positive step for the university. With more freshmen and PAs living together, it will add to campus life, Garza said.

Garza added the Residential Senate, the freshmen residential life organization in Phase VIII, would benefit from the additional buildings. The Senate has organized holiday dinners and video game tournaments in the past and would have a wider student base to draw from and be able to offer more extensive programming, she said.

The decision to increase accommodations for the freshmen class came from the President Jenifer’s Cabinet on the advice of Student Life, Lovitt said. The Cabinet thought it was necessary to continue expanding the freshmen class, he said.