OIT Sustainable Village
On May 2, the Oregon Board of Higher Education approved OIT's request for additional Article 11-F bond limitation of $15,499,999 for issuance of Article XI-F(1) bonds to finance construction of the first phase of a new student housing facility. The Board also authorized the chancellor or designee to seek authorization for this from the Legislative Emergency Board.
The Legislative Emergency Board will meet in June. Construction of the new housing facility, known as the OIT Village for Sustainable Living, is projected to begin after Legislative approval of the F-bond. The facility will have its first residents in 2009.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Bob Nettles made the following points in his presentation to the Board:
- The current residence hall is forty years old and structurally sound. The design does not provide the privacy and amenities desired by students today. The facility is very unpopular with upperclassmen and female students.
- Modern housing is critical to accomplishing our strategic plans to increase enrollment (especially in health professions) and to improve retention and graduation rates.
- OIT needs more space of all types, offices, classrooms and labs. According to the OUS sponsored Sightlines November 2007 study, OIT has the most intensively used square footage in the Oregon University System. We have plans to use the first floor of the current facility for offices, including student services.
- OIT needs a twelve-month residence facility to encourage summer attendance, camps, clinics and conferences.
