IU-Southeast proposes on-campus dorm

NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- Officials at IU-Southeast New Albany are developing plans to build student housing in an effort to increase the campus's appeal.\nCampus administrators said a community task force would be established to help plan the project and they expected to present the results to IU's board of trustees later this year.\nThe IU-Southeast campus has always been a commuter school, drawing most of its 6,700 students from southern Indiana and the Louisville, Ky., area.\nHousing would help attract students who want a residential campus experience and would be more likely to participate in extracurricular activities and cultural events, said Mike Bosc, the school's vice chancellor for university advancement.\n"It would totally change the environment on campus, and we think much for the better," he said.\nAbout 40 percent of 1,500 students surveyed last year said they might have moved into campus housing if it had been available.\nBosc said initial plans are for a building with a capacity of about 300.\nThe housing plan would need the backing of the IU board of trustees, and the Legislature would have to approve borrowing the money for the project to become reality.\nIf everything worked out perfectly, it would be five years before the doors would open, Bosc said.\n"It's not something that's imminent," he said.\nThe Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses are the only two in the IU system that have student living quarters, and IU-South Bend is pursuing a housing project.\nMusic Professor Joanna Goldstein, president of the campus's faculty senate, said some prospective students had told her they would be more interested in the school if campus housing were available.\n"This is very important for our future," she said. "I hope they can work it out"