Colorado State University Students Move Into Renovated Residence Halls, International Students Increase

How many countries can you find in a Colorado State University residence hall? This fall, students from more than a dozen countries will be among the more than 5,300 students moving into a residence hall this week at Colorado State University. Students move into the halls on Thursday.

The university’s new partnership with INTO and other international partnerships make this year’s on-campus living experience one of deep cultural richness and exposure, bringing students from countries such as China, Japan, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Indonesia to CSU. INTO is a private company that partners with universities to attract and recruit international undergraduate and graduate students.

The residence halls will open to full occupancy, with the count including 900 returning and transfer students, including residence hall assistants who live on-site, and about 4,400 first-year students.

“In addition to providing students with a safe, comfortable living experience at CSU, we strive to create a college experience that provides educational opportunities outside the classroom,” said Jim Dolak, executive director of Housing and Dining Services. “We think of our residence halls as living and learning communities, where students can begin to experience other cultures and interact with people from around the world to become more globally-focused and successful in today’s society.”

Students also will be greeted with fresh living spaces, including newly constructed fourth floor lofts in Parmelee Hall, just completed this summer. The lofts feature vaulted ceilings in student rooms as well as air-conditioning, a new student kitchen, an updated lobby, and a centralized elevator. Parmelee, Braiden and Corbett Halls also received an exterior facelift with new, energy-efficient windows, insulation behind new brick facades, pitched roofs, and water-friendly landscaping.

Braiden Hall is undergoing extensive renovations this year similar to Parmelee’s recent renovations, expanding it from a three-story to a four-story hall with top-floor lofts. It also will feature an updated entrance, lobby, a new student kitchen and renovated laundry facilities; a centralized elevator; study rooms and community lounges on each floor level as well as outdoor improvements including an amphitheater, water-wise landscaping and a new bike and pedestrian corridor in front of the hall. The sustainable renovation will reuse 99 percent of the existing structure. One-half of Braiden will be closed for renovations this fall, then students will move into the remodeled area at Winter break while renovations continue on the remainder of the building during spring semester.

In addition, Durrell Dining Center, will undergo remodeling to modernize the dated building while expanding meal seating and student programming and meeting rooms. A temporary dining facility will be available to students during the remodel and students can also choose to eat at any of the other five dining facilities and other express facility on campus.

In addition, the Lory Apartments will be torn down to make room for a living-learning community for 615 undergraduate students, opening next fall.
Details about all of the renovation projects can be found at www.housing.colostate.edu/renovation.

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