Housing Operations has drastically changed resident student’s housing options midway through summer, effective for the fall term. North Hall, the historic upper-level student residence hall, will be closed until further notice.
On the afternoon of July 16th at 4:05 PM, Housing Operations sent an email to all fall North Hall residents titled “North Closure This Fall”.
The email stated “After carefully studying student campus housing preferences, the University has decided it will not house students in North Hall for the coming fall semester. This decision is intended to maximize efficiency and limit costs for students.”
How this decision will maximize efficiency and limit costs for students was unclear.
The email continued with what the future of North Hall could look like: “Certain university administrative offices will continue to operate in North Hall and we will monitor and assess student housing preferences to assess the future use of the building.”
The focus turned to what would happen to students who were supposed to live in North Hall in the fall. It stated that reassignment would begin following July 19th. Housing Operations stated they would determine reassignment based on what kind of room students were originally assigned.
“In most cases, we will be reassigning students to space in Martin Hall that is similar to their current room assignment. This means that if you are in a double room, you will be reassigned to a double room in Martin Hall. If you have a roommate, you and your roommate will both be reassigned to the same double room. If you are in a single, you will be assigned to a single.”
The Pace Chronicle requested an interview with the director of Residential Life, Vincent Berkenmeyer, and University Housing Operations Director, Patrick Roger-Gordon, but was redirected to Public Affairs. Vice President of Public Affairs, Sean Coughlin shared the following response to The Pace Chronicle:
“This year there is reduced student demand for North Hall, and we feel it’s critical to connect our students with housing they want. Our goal is to provide the highest quality student life experience for our students in the most cost-effective manner. To do that, we look closely at the preferences our students indicate for housing.
The 41 students being reassigned from North Hall will be offered the same kind of room — at the same cost — as they were already assigned. If they want an upgraded room at higher cost, they have that option, as well. Additionally, the six resident assistants affected will be reassigned. The student housing assignments are finalized, and the resident assistants should be reassigned by mid-August.
Office space in North Hall will continue its pre-existing use by Pace’s facilities team.”
Students who had chosen a room in North Hall should have been reassigned to a similar room in Martin Hall or other residence halls as of Thursday, July 25th. Housing Operations has yet to formally announce the closure of North Hall to all students regardless of dorm selection, staff, and faculty of Pace University.
This response is meant to address the questions posed by the Chronicle, but some remain. The reason for the closure of this dormitory is its high vacancy status with 41 students assigned to the building with a capacity of 200, but with reassignment what is the current vacancy rate of the other dormitories on campus?
Another unanswered question is what does the future of North Hall look like beyond the fall semester? Will the building serve as a residence hall again or continue as an office space for facilities? Whatever decision made will have to be in advance of the spring semester.