The exteriors of Cougar Village 1 and 2. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
On Aug. 22, UH Board of Regents approved the construction of a new freshman residence dorm building on campus by 2027.
As described in the recent Board of Regents meeting, $179 million is estimated for the project to make more first-year housing available with the goal of increasing the percentage of students living on campus and reducing the image of the University being a commuter campus.
The new dorm building is expected to be built by summer 2027. It will add 1,000 beds to increase the available residence to 10,000 students.
It will be the fourth first-year dorm building while including three upperclassmen dorms, one loft-style building and three apartment-style buildings.
The University would not force freshmen into dorms but sees that increased numbers of student residents would influence greater academic success, said UH System spokesperson Shawn Lindsey.
“Our data consistently shows that UH students who live on campus graduate at a higher rate,” Lindsey said. “Increasing the residential population offers numerous benefits beyond just meeting a percentage goal and having more students live on campus fosters a more vibrant campus life and enriches the student experience – factors that directly contribute to student success.”
UH’s public data show over 46,676 students enrolled last year and the fall 2024 semester introducing a record-breaking class of new freshmen with more than 6,200.
More students now have to choose between living as a resident or a commute depending on their budget.
Many decide to live on campus instead of driving miles every day back and forth. For those that do, they feel convenient with the benefits.
But in the same debate, other students commute because it is more cost-effective considering the fact parking permits are becoming expensive.
“I would commute, if I could, because it’s a lot cheaper,” said journalism sophomore and The Quad resident Emily Martinez. “You have to pay for the dorm, buy the meal plan and then some people drive so we still have to buy the parking permit.”
However, with the recent complaints in residences, expectations are set.
Martinez is one of the students that encounters the residency’s common problems such as insufficient washing machines to meet the demand and faulty door sensor keys.
“I think they should also fix the card problem,” Martinez said. “I can’t get in my room because the sensor sometimes is faulty here.”
Both residents and commuters raised concerns about the plan based on their experiences where services such as laundry machines and Cougar IDs have been repeatedly.
Students are also not confident on what UH has been spending its resources on.
Many notice most of the funding is always going on athletics, especially with an expansion center being constructed.
“I don’t know if they will accomplish their goal, I feel like we have to actually see what they’re trying to implement because they could be doing something that no one’s going to want to come and stay for,” said psychology sophomore and resident Nick Guerrero. “They might just make it Moody 2.0 and if they do that, I don’t think it’s going to accomplish anything.”
Students also admit a lack of security since the incident at Moody Towers that left a student robbed at gunpoint.
However, despite these ongoing and increasing issues, Guerrero is expecting to have a positive experience.
“I’m more optimistic about it,” Guerrero said. “As long as we can fix the daily issues that occur here at Moody and probably even like the Cougar Village to some stuff, it could be better than what we already have.”
As plans move forward, the Board of Regents is meeting with contractors.
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“UH set to expand first-year housing with new dorm by 2027” was originally posted on The Cougar