VCU announces new residence hall amidst increased housing demand

Abdullah Karabatek, Contributing Writer

Katie Farthing, Managing Editor

VCU recently announced plans to open up housing on the 700 block of West Grace Street alongside the Facilities and Financial Services Building, according to the VCU Master Plan website.

The project, which is still in the “pre-planning phase of study,” will replace the 518 beds in Johnson Hall which closed in fall 2022 and provide “additional beds to meet increased demand,” according to the website. The building is planned for the second biennium of the “Six-Year Capital Plan” between 2026 and 2028.

The website states on-campus housing benefits students academically, citing a four-percent increase in on-campus students’ returning rate during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Michael Porter, the associate vice president of public relations, said the decision to build a new dormitory is “a positive step towards accommodating the growing student population.”

The new facility will have the capacity to house 1,000 to 1,250 people, potentially easing the strain on existing housing resources, according to Porter.

Ashley Brown, a second-year philosophy major and vice president of VCU’s NAACP chapter, said the new building is insufficient to resolve the housing crisis, and she doesn’t want the university to use it as a “crutch.”

“That’s kind of like a Band-Aid to the situation. That’s not a permanent solution because that’s just going to house 1,500 students,” Brown said.

Brown said the university has failed to inform students about the housing situation.

“So it’s from VCU’s side, if they tell the truth about housing, it might deter students from coming in, which is less money for VCU,” Brown said.

Ziad Heikal, a first-year finance major, is currently on the waitlist for on-campus housing next semester after missing his application time slot. He said he feels there is a lack of on-campus housing spots available for the amount of students applying.

“What I mean by that is they’re not really being smart with how many kids are taking rooms,” Heikal said.

VCU supplied sufficient information to applying students but they were unprepared for the amount of applicants, according to Heikal.

“I think they did a really bad job about that because I know VCU always has an issue with housing,” Heikal said.

Heikal said he would prefer to live off-campus because of the “insecurity” that comes with finding on-campus housing.

“If I’m paying my own rent that’s fine,” Heikal said. “If I’m promised something and I don’t know for sure if I’m going to get it — that’s kind of the part I don’t like when it comes to on-campus housing.”

Fourth-year student Komal Rizvi lived in GRC her first year but has lived off campus since. She said most of the first-year dorms are older and could use an “upgrade” and that a new residence hall would be helpful.

Rizvi said many universities tend to admit too many students and leave them with few housing options.

“They need to do something about that,” Rizvi said. “A new building would fix that.”

Upperclassmen don’t always prefer to stay on campus, according to Rizvi.

“They should have the option to if they want to,” Rizvi said. “If they don’t have that, then, that’s not good.”