Gound-breaking brings visions of hope
- by Scott Pratt: Staff Writer

Cameron Village offers students a viable alternative to the high cost of off-campus living

The dust in the air around Cameron is the sign of progress. Construction began in August to build a new multi-unit student-housing complex called Cameron Village. The complex, which will house 240 students, is expected to be completed next August.

The project, managed by CMS Willowbrook of Chickasha, has a budget of $12 million. The complex will consist of four buildings, three of which will be three-story, apartment-style housing. The fourth building will be the Learning Center.

In May of 2003 the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma hired Architects and Partnership of Norman to design Cameron Village. This spring, the Oklahoma Legislature gave Cameron permission to start selling revenue bonds to fund the project. The final word to begin work on Cameron Village was given by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents in June of this year.

Keith Mitchell, director of Cameron’s Government and Community Relations Department, is excited about the new addition to Cameron’s campus.

“Cameron Village is not intended to replace the existing dorms in the Shepler buildings. It is a new option for students who want to live on campus and a tool to recruit more traditional students who want to live on campus,” Mitchell said. “We hope to have students living in Cameron Village at the start of the 2005 fall semester.”

Glen Pinkston, Cameron’s vice president for business and finance, echoed Mitchell’s idea.
“We want to increase the number of students living on campus and give students the option of living in the Shepler buildings or living in Cameron Village. There will be benefits to both living situations.”

According to Pinkston, a recent housing survey showed that one of the desires dorm students had was more privacy. The design of Cameron Village is such that the students will have privacy Village is such that the students will have privacy as well as a social area. Students will no longer have a roommate. They will instead have suite mates living in the same apartment. With each student having their own bedroom and no more than two students sharing a bathroom, their privacy will be maintained.

“Current research suggests that a great deal of high school students have never had to share a bedroom or a bathroom with another person. This is one of the reasons we wanted to give students more privacy and make them feel more comfortable with the idea of living on campus,” Pinkston said.

Privacy will be continued outside of the living space in secure, gated parking for the residents of Cameron Village.

The main goal of Cameron Village, according to Mitchell, is to increase the number of students who live on campus. He feels that by increasing the student population living on campus, Cameron will be more attractive to the traditional student. Mitchell believes the experience of campus life and the involvement exhibited by the students will increase because there will be more of an on-campus social atmosphere.

Pinkston mentioned that another one of the goals of the project is to allow students who want to live on campus 12 months out of the year the opportunity to do so. Leases will be available by the semester as well as by the year. The yearly option is for those students who wish to stay during the summer months and intercession while continuing to go to school.

To make Cameron Village attractive to students, the complex offers two living options. Two of the buildings will consist of four-bedroom suites, with the third consisting of two-bedroom suites.

The four-bedroom suites will share a central living room area. On each side of the living room there will be two bedrooms and a bathroom. A full kitchen will be in every suite area. Laundry facilities will also be in every building. The two-bedroom suites will be arranged much the same way, with the bedrooms to the side of the living room area and bathroom.

“The apartments will have everything a furnished apartment has. Refrigerators, couches, chairs and a double bed for each bedroom will be provided. Necessary furniture such as cabinets, dressers and desks will also all be available to the student residents,” Pinkston said. “Each room in Cameron Village will also have high-speed Internet access, including the bedrooms, the study rooms on each floor and living rooms. Cable television will also be available; however the apartments do not come furnished with a television.”

The Learning Center will be funded by a $1.25 million gift from the McMahon Foundation. According to Mitchell the Learning Center will have a seminar room, a library, and a computer lab for the students.
“One new concept we are implementing in the Learning Center is a position for a director of residence life. This position will allow a faculty member to live in an apartment in the Learning Center and act as an aide to students. The idea is to have someone who can interact with students,” Pinkston said. “The position is not intended to be a residence hall director but rather more of an academic source. The person would be expected to advise students, listen to them when they need it and meet with the residents of the complex on a regular basis.”

Mitchell and Pinkston both agree that Cameron Village will make Cameron University more attractive to students in the near future. They also feel that the addition to the campus will further President Cindy Ross’ goal of making CU the university of choice in Southwest Oklahoma.