NOC Dorm Progress Continues

Construction progress continues on new NOC dorms, dedication ceremonies set for Oct. 9

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Construction progress continues on the new Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) residence halls, scheduled to be open for a fall break move-in on both the Tonkawa and Enid campuses. The new dorms have officially been named, the Tonkawa facility will be called Mavericks Hall and the Enid facility will be named Jets Hall. Dedication ceremonies have been scheduled for Oct. 9 at both locations. The Mavericks Hall open house will be from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. with brief remarks and ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. and the Jets Hall open house will be from 2 – 4 p.m. with brief remarks and ribbon cutting at 2:30 p.m. Both events will also include a Masonic cornerstone dedication and time capsule ceremony.
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The new state-of- the-art dorms are designed to provide the best living and learning environment possible to assist students in reaching their career goals according to Jason Johnson, NOC vice president for student affairs and Residential Housing Committee chair. Johnson said, “There have been a lot of changes since the existing NOC dorms were constructed and student expectations have changed. So, in designing the new residential housing, new technologies and the balance between privacy and community were major considerations.”
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Five million dollars was budgeted for each 20,344 square feet, 84 bed, two-story brick structure. The 84 beds will be divided into semi-suite units with two bedrooms to house two students in each room. The building will offer ADA accessible rooms and accommodate both freshman and sophomore, male and female students.
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Housing amenities include a recreation area, storm shelter designed to FEMA standards, walk-in closets, male and female wings and shared bathrooms in each suite. The buildings will include large lobby and student lounge areas, on-site laundry facilities, vending areas, study rooms, energy-efficient HVAC system and Internet access.
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“One thing we did before we ever started building was to meet with students to ask what they would like to see,” Johnson said. “Overwhelmingly, they wanted walk-in closets, so we incorporated that. The students had a large amount of input in the original design.”
He said, “The safe room on the first floor will double as a recreation and lounge area and will have heavy-duty doors and windows rated for an EF-5 tornado. The residence halls will have live-in residence hall staff, 24-hour security with proximity card access control and 24-hour video surveillance, close parking, and are ADA accessible. The safe room and security features will appeal to parents concerned about their child’s safety.”
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Although the dorms were not ready for occupancy at the beginning of the fall semester, which began Aug. 17, Johnson said the plan is to move students in at the fall break. He said many of the rooms in the new residence hall have been reserved but there are still some available.
Dorm 082015 DSC_0148wh“We have rooms and beds for the students set aside who have said they will live in the new dorm and we will move them in when it’s ready,” Johnson said, adding those students will live in the current dorms until then. Johnson said both residence hall projects, Tonkawa and Enid, are on the same time line and that other renovations are in progress to enhance the student life at both NOC locations.
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