With student enrollment on the rise, Texas A&M is making accommodations for its growth by expanding west campus student living and improving living conditions on the Quad for the Corps of Cadets.
Apartment-style living called The White Creek Apartments is due to be completed by fall 2015. Three of the 12 Corps dorms have been renovated, and the remaining nine will be completed over the next three years.
Timothy Broderick, poultry science senior and Resident Hall Association president, said the demand to live at the heart of the Aggie experience has increased over the past few years. Broderick said one factor behind this growth is the increasing number of freshman students admitted each year to Texas A&M.
“This expansion allows us to accommodate more freshman while diversifying the style and location of on-campus living,” Broderick said. “Placing students directly on campus, especially during their freshman year, allows them easy access to all we have to offer at Texas A&M.”
Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez, commandant of the Corps of Cadets, has seen a significant growth in the Corps over the past few years. Ramirez said the dorms are in great need of renovation to bring them up to standard. The renovations will create larger rooms with air conditioning and heating, new windows and larger bathrooms as well as wireless capability.
“The renovation of the Corps dorms is significant in that it will provide first-class facilities for our cadets to live, study, train and develop as leaders,” Ramirez said. “It’s a great recruiting tool for us, but it also helps us provide a 21st century living-learning environment for our cadets right on the Quad where they live every day.”
Lt. Col. Christian Emmerson, assistant commandant for disciplines and logistics, said he hopes the renovations attract students and visitors on tours as a destination spot on campus.
“The new paving and interior will be similar to Military Walk,” Emmerson said. “It will greatly improve the aesthetics to the Quad and allow room for outdoor drill practice and instruction.”
Included in the Corps dorm renovation are four new Leadership Learning Centers, LLC. The Buzbee Leadership Learning Center opened in 2012 and The Ash Leadership Learning Center opened last month. Both are equipped with study and tutoring space as well as computer labs.
“They have made a big difference for our cadets and the overall rise in the Corps GPA, overall 2.94 last semester, can be partly attributed to these new LLCs,” Ramirez said. “With the completion of the Corps dorm renovations, two more LLCs will be built, which will increase the academic facilities on the Quad for the cadets ­— something we are all excited about.”
Broderick said White Creek provides great student benefits because it is freshman-priority housing located on west campus. Broderick said this is especially important to student athletes and students enrolled in Mays Business School and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It is also closer to Penberthy, Reed Arena and some of the athletic facilities, which will be beneficial to some of our student athletes,” Broderick said. “Currently, the biggest issue is the lack of dining options available on west campus, but that is a large reason why the apartments are being built first as students will not have to be reliant on university dining facilities.”