COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina welcomed the community to their new student residential development on Friday.
“It is here where the success of our students begin,” said Michael Amiridis, the university’s president when addressing the crowd that gathered for the opening.
It’s called Campus Village. It’ll house 1,800 students in four buildings. The university says it’s been in the works for years and cost them $240 million.
It includes a new dining facility - the university’s largest, a student success center for academic help and lounges, as well as full community kitchens, study rooms and more.
Kirsten Kennedy, the Associate Vice President of Residential Experience, says the new development has a modern design, unlike many of the university’s dorm buildings.
“Back in the day, they were what we call double loaded corridors,” Kennedy said. “Those buildings are built quickly after the second world war to accommodate the gi is coming back. So you have a lot of, you know, 1950s era 1960s era where we were just trying to make as many beds as we could and so those are highly, they're, they're densely populated.”
University staff members say they focused on providing a place to build community, especially for freshmen, who will make up the majority of residents.
“The first year of college is super hard,” said Claire Haines, the President of USC’s Residence Hall Association. “But here at the University of South Carolina, we really want to make that first year experience great for them. And this is just perfect. This is amazing to be able to add in all of these spaces that people can come and just collaborate.”
Laura Sheppard and Ella McGarrigan are both freshmen who have already moved into Campus Village during early move-in.
“It's super nice,” Sheppard said. “Like everything is so clean and new.”
They say they like the buildings’ focus on community.
“There's like so many places just to meet new friends and stuff,” McGarrigan said.
The rest of the Campus Village residents will move into their new home by Sunday.