Christina Davis, a 19-year-old nursing student, couldn’t be happier with her double suite in Gleason-Hairston Terrace, the university’s newest residence hall. “It’s better than what I expected,” she said, smiling.
WSSU’s newest hall contains 84 apartments, 27 two-bedroom suites, 17 one-bedroom suites and two apartments for resident managers. Each bedroom is wired for cable TV, high-speed Internet and voice data. Additionally, there’s a fitness center, student lounge, with large screen TV, computer lab, and kitchen and study areas.
As the student population at WSSU grows, so does the demand for on-campus housing. Enrollment has increased 72 percent since 2000, and enrollment this fall increased by nearly 7 percent.
Although Davis loves the spaciousness of her suite, Amber Girty, a 20-year-old psychology major differs. She would have preferred larger living rooms, especially given that “everyone brings a friend over.”
Gleason-Hairston Terrace is located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between Wilson Hall and the Albert H. Anderson Conference Center. The residence hall is named after Dr. Eliza Atkins Gleason, daughter of WSSU founder Simon Green Atkins, and Rufus and Mary Hairston, WSSU alumni whose estate contributed more than $1 million to the university.
Davis said she likes the location of the new residence facility because it’s close to the main campus. Girty, on the other hand, said there are too many hills between the main campus and the new dormitory. But Girty added that she is satisfied with the cost of her new space. And, the kitchen is “worth every penny,” she said, adding that “it has plenty of cabinet space.”