UNA students react to university’s plan to spend $24M on new residence hall

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) - Students at UNA are sounding off about the school’s decision to tear down an old residence hall, LaGrange Hall, and build a new one with almost 200 new beds.

” Well, I think a new dorm is actually a really good idea because LaGrange Hall has just been standing there with nobody in there,” said one student.

“I think that building should’ve been torn down and made into something new years ago whenever they decided to retire it,” said another.

But at the cost of almost 24 million dollars, do students think it’s money well spent? And is it at the top of their wish list?

“We’re also building a new stadium at the same time from what I’ve heard,” said Eli Rainey, a student at the university. “And I’d rather just have the dorm and not the stadium because that’s a lot of money, and that’s just all going to go to my tuition. I’m going to be paying more to go here.”

University leaders also recently bought off-campus apartments to provide more student housing, but for some students, the problem extends past just finding somewhere to live.

“I feel like more dorms are definitely going to be necessary in the near future, but I feel like a new parking situation should be higher on UNA’s priority list,” said Logan Dye, a sophomore.

More parking was a request I heard from multiple students.

“I feel like housing also includes parking so more places to park. I hear a lot of people complain about parking,” said Stephanie Beson, another UNA student. “I personally don’t have a car sadly so I don’t have to worry about it but all of my friends do and it’s nonstop every day talking about how far away they had to park.”

Some students believe a new dorm is a step in the right direction, but problems like housing are just a small piece of the larger pie.

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