On Oct. 10, the grand celebration of East Hall’s official opening took place. The new building ensures Michigan Tech students have more options to live on campus. The event was vibrant, featuring food and outdoor activities.
East Hall was planned to break ground back in the fall of 2023. “The building is unique because it had its walls and structural supports built off-campus,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration. Rodriguez also exclaimed that with the overall building and the materials, East Hall was “under budget.” With the building taking only around two years to complete, issues were expected. “Students have to break [East Hall] in,” said Laura Bulleit, Vice President of Student Affairs. Bulleit further discussed how, with this first group of people, students will help fine-tune the building this year.
One of the main selling points of East Hall is the 24/7 market. Sydney Wieseler, Senior Resident Assistant of East Hall, mentioned that “the marketplace is good for late-night munchies and study snacks.” The marketplace has a variety of foods and snacks. “Top sellers, so far, are Dr. Pepper, Chocolate milk, and Mrs. Freshly’s Donuts,” exclaimed Bulleit, “not sure if it’s a nutritionist dream or nightmare, but it’s a winning combination for our students.”
If you come to visit East Hall, Wieseler gives the insight of “going to the fourth floor!” Her reason behind this is “you are able to see a wonderful view of the portage.” She also shared that you can see northern lights from the kitchenettes late at night.
As the population grows, the addition of East Hall sheds new light on the need for more beds. With this new location, there are alterations needed to connect other dorm halls. In the famous words of Bulleit, “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” Bulleit was referring to the path from East Hall to McNair Hall. There is a current construction project to make a safe walkway between these buildings.
