STORY AND PHOTOS BY ADAM BUCK
The new residence building on Sheridan’s Trafalgar Campus is nearly complete and already at full capacity.
The six-floor structure, known simply as Trafalgar Two, houses 474 students, while Trafalgar One is home to 346 occupants. The cost of rent for both is $6,500 per year.
“Students have everything they need,” said Bernard Dwyer, director of operations for Sheridan residences. “Sure there’s deficiencies and we’re working on them right now within the suites.”
Residents are still trying to settle in, while the finishing touches are being made.
“I would have liked to have known certain things weren’t going to be available when I moved in,” said Art Fundamentals student Cleo Lant. “Sometimes we don’t have hot water for showers and the elevators weren’t working when we moved in. Right now, it’s kind of like ‘What am I paying for?’ ”
But Lant says she’s still happy with the overall experience.
Jeff MacLellan, a Business Administration Finance student, is a resident adviser at Trafalgar Two. “It’s brand new, no one’s slept in those beds,” he said. “I like the fact that it’s new.”
“I don’t think I’d like to see any changes at this point,” MacLellan said. “I like how it is.”
Dwyer said the feedback from students and parents was incredible. “It makes it worth the late nights and all of the work from the team.”
Though all of the suites are occupied, no common rooms are finished and there are no outside trashcans yet.
When you’re building these buildings,” Dwyer explained, “it’s always right to the last minute in trying to get things done. We weren’t delayed. It didn’t slow the students down,” he added.
“We always anticipated a Sept. 2 move in. We anticipated that back in August of last year.”
Construction of Trafalgar Two began in the summer of 2012 and the building is expected to be fully operational in early October.
Some common areas of Trafalgar Two will include:
- Indoor storage for about 100 bikes
- Two laundry rooms
- Movie lounge
- Gaming room
- Fitness room
- Three kitchens, each with two ovens and a seating area
The new building also contains a conference centre, separate from the student residence. It is expected to hold around 250 people.
At Trafalgar Two, tenants’ OneCards will be used as electronic keys for entry to common rooms. There are plans to eventually apply the same technology at Trafalgar One.
Once fully furnished and equipped, there is to be a residence council of volunteer students, who will advocate for the tenants.
“We’re going to let them… help tell us what they want and what they need,” said Dwyer. “I’ve been here for 14 years and every year there’s always something new because students will bring that aspect to us, which is fantastic.”
With larger common areas and shared space, a major focus for Trafalgar Two is student interaction.
“It’s not about the building,” said residence life coordinator Nicole Hofman. “It’s not about the bed, it’s not about the television mounted on the wall. At the end of the day, it’s about the experience they can get from the residence.”
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