With the housing reservation process kicking into high gear and a nine-story building skeleton standing erect at 619 Comstock Ave., students now have the chance to be the first residents of Ernie Davis Hall’s single and split-double rooms.

However, only 120 single rooms will be available to Syracuse University students with low enough lottery numbers. The 60 remaining rooms – all of which are split doubles – will be reserved for incoming freshmen, and half of those rooms will be used by learning communities.

Eileen Simmons, director of Housing, Meal Plan and ID Services, said the reason for this is so that incoming students would have the opportunity to live in the new building, too.

‘The returning students typically go for the singles anyway, so we thought we would provide more singles for the upper-class students,’ she said. ‘We don’t really want to give those singles to freshmen, so it was trying to balance out new and returning (students) in the building.’

But some students don’t think this method is fair.

‘That’s what the Mount is for,’ said Christine Carniaux, a sophomore history major who’s hoping to live in Ernie Davis next year. ‘Upperclassmen should have dibs.’

While Ernie Davis is Carniaux’s first choice, she said it’s a ”we’ll see’ sort of thing,’ since there are a limited number of singles available and a lot of interest.

Most attracting to her, she said, are the air-conditioned rooms and the building’s location.

Joseph Giarrusso, a sophomore information studies and technology major, thinks freshmen should have the chance at the opportunity to live near Bird Library and the Quad.

‘Having freshmen get the good experience of a really nice, new dorm is going to make them really happy,’ he said.

Simmons said it’s hard to predict how quickly the singles will go. Those who get in will live in air-conditioned rooms with untraditional floor-to-ceiling windows that contribute to what Simmons called ‘spectacular’ lighting.

Groups of rooms will be clustered near several bathrooms on every floor. Each floor of dorms will also have multiple lounges and at least one pantry.

The building will also have classroom space, a public lounge and a convenience store on the ground floor.

Simmons said the rooms are expected to be ready when students arrive in August.

‘The glitches are more related to finishing the dining center and the recreation facility – that probably will be (opening) into the fall semester,’ she said. ‘But beyond that, it’s our understanding that the rooms will be done and ready to go.’

Ernie Davis Dining Center

The opening of the 500-seat dining center may be later than anticipated, said Peter Webber, director of Auxiliary Services.

‘It’s uncertain,’ Webber said. ‘We’re probably looking closer to an Oct. 15 date.’

David George, director of Food Services, said production got behind schedule during the winter. Until Ernie Davis Dining Center is ready for students, Haven Dining Center will remain open.

Once completed, Ernie Davis will replace Shaw Dining Hall’s late hours and remain open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and weeknights. It will offer a variety of seating options, including Food.com-like raised chairs.

The new dining center will be enclosed in two floors of wall-length glass windows.

‘It’s really designed so the people will be the color, and the people will be the creativity,’ Webber said.

The food in Ernie Davis won’t be too different from what’s already in SU’s other dining centers – planned stations will offer deli sandwiches, vegan and vegetarian selections, Jump Asian Cuisine, cooked-to-order specialties, pizza, etc. Students can anticipate a marketplace design which will allow them to see their food cooked in front of them.

‘You’re going to actually be inside the kitchen,’ George said.

George and Webber are considering making Ernie Davis trayless, as many other universities have done to their dining halls. The absence of trays would conserve the water needed to wash them, along with the extra food students tend to pile unto them. They’re looking for what students will be most comfortable with, which may be something like bigger plates in lieu of trays.

The Recreation Facility

The gym space in Ernie Davis will have a similar look to the Marshall Square Mall Fitness Center, said Joseph Lore, director of the Department of Recreation Services. Orange walls and brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment are in store for the gym.

‘It’s going to have the look of a health club,’ he said.

Lore said final decisions have not been made yet as to what equipment will be purchased for the facility, but they will partially depend on student feedback on demo equipment currently setup in Archbold Gymnasium.

bmdavies@syr.edu

Published on March 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm