UW Creates Upperclassman/Returning Student Housing Option

The University of Wyoming has announced to better serve the needs of its returning students, the UW Board of Trustees has authorized UW’s Housing and Dining Services to create Upperclassman Hall at Orr and will offer all double rooms as single rooms in Orr at a double room rate of $3,225 per semester, the price of a double-occupancy room in the newly constructed North and South halls.

According to the university, trustees approved the creation of Upperclassman Hall at Orr just last week. To qualify students must meet one of these eligibility guidelines :

— Student has lived in a UW residence hall for at least one academic year.

— Student has sophomore or above status with a minimum of 24 credit hours earned post high school graduation.

— Student is 21 or older.

“With this Upperclassman Hall, we will be able to offer increased privacy, flexibility and independence, all while maintaining the kind of residential life support our students are accustomed to with our Residence Life staff,” Associate Vice President of Business Enterprises Eric Webb said. “What’s more, this will give our returning students an annual housing savings of $2,578.”

Upperclassman Hall students also will have the option to purchase a flexible meal plan for $3,479 a semester that includes 225 meals at the new Dining Center at North Hall, plus $500 in Dining Dollars that can be used across UW’s campus dining locations, including all coffee shops, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Bucking Horse Bakery, Einstein Bros Bagels and CJ’s Convenience Store.

According to UW’s director of housing Kim Zafft, the idea is to create a new sense of community on campus

“The goal with Upperclassman Hall at Orr is to gather like-minded individuals and give them their own space based on status,” she said. “This could include a 21 and older floor, a section for transfer students or a section for our returning students. We are really excited to offer this and believe that this will help our students succeed by retaining everything they’ve learned to love about living on campus.”

 Those benefits include:

— Being close to classes and campus events, the Wyoming Union and Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center.

— A built-in community of students in a safe and secure environment.

— Eligibility for fall semester release for graduation, study abroad and student teaching.

— One easy, all-inclusive billing each semester.

— Free Wi-Fi and Steamboat Cinema.

— Twenty-four-hour emergency maintenance and custodial services.

Students interested in this new housing opportunity should complete the online UW housing application and select the “Sophomore/20+ Living Learning Community” preference. Questions can be emailed to the UW Housing Office at living@uwyo.edu.

“This has been a dream of mine for a long time,” UW Board of Trustees Chairman Kermit Brown said. “Upperclassmen should have a place of their own, and my hope is that, with a place of their own, more will choose to live on campus. Living on campus relieves a lot of stress and strain and really should be optimal for students who want to devote their time to studies.”