Students move into one of the new residence halls on Aug. 9.

Students occupying new residence halls on Tusculum campus

The "freshman" year has already begun for Tusculum College's four newest residence halls.

The buzz of saws and pounding of hammers heard for about the past year around the four new townhouse-style residence halls is being replaced by the chatter of friends reuniting for a new academic year.

Some students have already been able to move into the apartment-style residence halls, which will be fully occupied with 192 students over the next several days as other students move in.

Additional housing provided by the new buildings is needed by the college as about 780 Residential College students are expected on campus for the fall 2002 semester.

Last year's Residential College enrollment was 630. Increasing the enrollment in the Residential College has been a goal emphasized by Tusculum President Dr. Dolphus E. Henry. When Dr. Henry came to the college in 2000, he set a goal that the Residential College would reach a 1,000-student enrollment in five years. In the fall of 2000, fewer than 500 students were enrolled in the traditional program on campus.

Fall athletes arrived on the campus Friday. New students will arrive on Thursday, and returning students will come in on Saturday, Aug. 17. Classes begin Aug. 19.

The new residence halls are townhouse-style apartments that contain a living room, a "mini-kitchen" featuring a microwave oven, sink, and refrigerator, four private bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Washer and dryer units are also included.

Furniture was moved into the new buildings around the end of July. The general contractor for the project, Burleson Construction, Inc., of Johnson City, officially turned the buildings over to the college that same month.

The design of the brick buildings echoes many features found in other buildings on campus, including arches and a balcony similar to that of McCormick Hall. Greeneville's Fisher + Associates worked in collaboration with Trotter and Associates Architects, of Gatlinburg, on the design of the buildings.

Landscaping featuring short shrubs have been placed around the entrances of the halls, and a greenspace occupies the inner courtyard formed by the sidewalks linking the buildings.

The number of students expected this fall has also resulted in the need to continue housing some students in three houses the college owns. A fourth house that was also used to house students last year is not being used for that purpose this year.

In part because of the expected increase in students, the college has upgraded its telephone system. The anticipated number of students is creating an increased demand for classroom space.

The college is also currently in a capital campaign to raise funds for the renovation and expansion of the library, which will provide additional resources for Tusculum students as well as the community.