The new residence halls, Secoya Hall and Sicomora Hall, are under the final steps of construction.
Students will soon be receiving information about moving to the new halls that will officially open Friday, Jan. 17.
While that Friday falls on a holiday weekend, classes for the spring 2020 semester officially start on Saturday, Jan. 18.
The California State Board of Trustees approved a budget of $185 million for the project on Feb. 1, 2017.
The new eight-story buildings are located on Kellogg Drive and Red Gum Lane and will become Building 73 and Building 74 respectively.
While the original plan estimated that the project would be completed in fall 2019, it was pushed back due to several issues.
According to Gary Fong, the communication specialist in the Facilities Planning & Management Department, “The original construction completion and move-in for the project was fall 2019. Weather can impact the construction schedule of a project. During construction, issues can crop and also cause delays.”
through and access both sides of the structure.”
Zuvanny Macias | The Poly Post
Some of the issues included trouble getting state fire marshal approval.
The permits were sent to the fire marshal for approval during the time when there were massive wildfires spreading through Northern California, so the department was busy and the permits didn’t get processed as quickly as they normally would.
Not every student residing the dorms will move.
The students who will need to move are those who currently reside in Cedritos (Building 58), Alamitos (Building 22), Aliso (Building 23) and Palmitas (Building 57).
It will be only freshmen who will be moved into the new dorm halls.
“The new residence halls look amazing from the outside and seem to be a sizable upgrade from the current dorms,” said Junaid Bodla, a first-year aerospace engineering student. “I’ve never seen any of the layouts for the new rooms but I’m assuming they’re going to be nicer than the current rooms. (I’m) looking forward to better views overlooking campus from the dorms.”
Bodla lives in a dorm on campus and will be moved to the new residence halls when the buildings open in January.
Students required to move have already been informed which building they will reside in.
When students received their fall room assignments, they also received their tentative spring room assignment.
The housing department will attempt to keep roommates the same.
Students are required to check out of the halls by Dec. 15.
“The week before finals, we will be delivering moving crates,” said Todd London, director of Housing Operations. “They’re plastic, reusable totes if you will. That’s due till checkout. Throughout the week before finals, (students) load them up. And then at moveout the exact process is still in the works. But at moveout, they’ll check out of their room with their resident advisor or another staff member. We’ll just confirm that everything is packed, and they have everything ready to go.”
When students return to campus, they’ll come back to the new buildings with all of their belongings moved by a moving vendor early in January.
The specific dates regarding when the belongings will be moved are still being decided.
There will be no price hike if a student is moved from a triple to a double or a single room because there aren’t as many triples in the new residence halls.
It’s important for students affected to be aware of information that will be sent out through their email, flyers and the dorms and hall meetings, which will be conducted by the resident advisors.
If there are any questions, students should not hesitate to contact their resident advisor or visit Building 59, the main housing office, which is located behind the duck pond on University Drive.
