Sampson Hall, a male dormitory, is scheduled to close as early as this summer for renovation.
“Sampson Hall is an old dorm,” said Jerry Moore, director of housing. “All of FAMU’s dorms are an average of 45 years old. We want to be more competitive with off campus housing facilities.”
Before work can begin on the dorm, the FAMU Board of Trustees and President Fred Gainous must approve the remodeling. FAMU has hired a construction consultant to evaluate whether renovation or reconstruction would be cost effective.
If approved, the dorm may close as early as this summer, and reopen by summer of 2004.
According to Moore, the cost to rebuild or renovate Sampson Hall range from $1.3 million to $1.6 million. The new Sampson Hall is expected to have several new features, which will include a computer center, private stalls in the bathrooms and a laundry room.
William Leonard, 19, a sophomore biology student from Jacksonville, lived in Sampson during his freshmen year, but moved off campus. According to Leonard, changes have been long overdue.
“It made no sense to be in one dorm, but going to another just to wash your clothes,” Leonard said. “Also, having 20 males share one bathroom is ridiculous.”
Kori Green currently lives in Sampson Hall and agrees that there is much to be done.
“It floods on the fourth floor. There is hardly a ceiling on the fourth floor,” said the 19-year-old freshman mechanical engineering student from Clinton, Md. “They need to fix the hot water. Either the water is cold or there’s none at all.”
According to Moore, student concerns play a big role when it comes to improvements in the dorms.
“The students are the customers. If the students aren’t happy, they’ll move off campus,” Moore said. “We don’t want them to do that so we have to listen to student concerns.”