Now that students have moved into the new residential halls, the biggest question that comes to mind is, “What is going to happen to the old residential halls?”
First-year students had the option to move into the new Sicomora (Building 73) and Secoya (Building 74) residential halls prior to this spring semester, leaving some of the older halls vacant. However, some students will reside in the some of the older residential halls for the remainder of this academic year.
“The two gray residence halls (Palmitas and Cedritos) will be shuttered for the spring semester while (the) campus finalizes analysis to determine the next steps for either demolition or other usage, but there is no intention to utilize them for student housing in the future,” said Megan Stang, executive director of University Housing Services.
(Jizelle Saucedo | The Poly Post)
According to Stang, the residential halls including Encinitas (Building 20), Aliso (Building 23), Alamitos (Building 22) and Montecito (Building 21) will still be occupied by incoming first-year students in the upcoming fall 2020 semester.
Fourth-year liberal studies student Samantha Luley works as a resident advisor for University Housing Services and was a part of the transition of moving students from the old residential halls into the new ones.
Luley said the residents of the new residential halls seem to enjoy the larger study spaces, access to elevators and no longer having to share a communal restroom with the other students on their floor.
“Overall, I have liked living in the (Cedritos) dorms. Having a smaller dorm made it a lot easier to connect with the people living there,” first-year computer science student Zoë Medina said.
Medina explained that “the (newer) buildings are so huge that you don’t get to see the same people,” unlike in the older residential halls.
However, Luley said she believes that the older residential halls remaining a housing option will be beneficial to first-year students interested in cheaper housing on campus. The pricing for the older residential and new residential halls for fall 2020 have yet to be determined, according to Jackie Natividad, assistant director of business services.
New housing is expected to be built near the new residential halls in 2024 according to Stang. Until then, the four older residential halls will remain occupied by first-year students.
