Purdue University Northwest’s new Freshman dormitory will fill many needs with its one purpose: getting students to say “Hi” to each other.
Workers are still putting the finishing touches on Calumet Hall, the third student-housing building the campus has built since opening its University Village in 2005. But when it’s ready in a couple weeks, 150 new PNW students are going to get the whole big-campus dorm experience on their relatively small campus, PNW Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford told the crowd of about 50 students and stakeholders.
“Living on campus is transformative, and we want Calumet Hall to be a vibrant community,” Holford said. “Everything we do begins and ends with student success, so let this be a celebration of progress, friendship and possibilities.”
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Unlike the Peregrine and Griffin Halls, which have single suites with their own kitchens and bathrooms, the new 42,000 square-foot dorm, built at the corner of 173rd and Woodmar Avenue on a little-used parking lot, is modeled after a traditional dorm, said PNW Housing and Residential Education Director Rachel Jones. There are 50 single suites and 50 double suites for students who want to room with pals or take their chances and meet someone new, she said.
Each floor has two lounges with different purposes — one has comfortable couches and can be used as a TV room while the other one has a long table and chairs that can be used for studying or dining since the dorm has one kitchen on the main level, Jones said.
There are also bathroom units on each floor as well as a laundry room on the first floor, so students will have to figure out their neighbors’ natural ebb-and-flow to get things done.
“We’re calling it ‘Adulthood with training wheels,” Jones said. “They’re here to grow up and learn how to do all these things life requires, but they have the safety net of us behind them. We’re helping them understand these processes, such as letting maintenance know when there’s a problem in their room to be fixed instead of waiting and having the landlord charge you for the repair.”
Calumet Hall students are also getting a special gift from the school: their very own fuzzy bathrobe so they can avoid at least one conversation, Jones added.
“When a student is running down the hall in their towel, they can’t say we haven’t provided them a robe to wear,” she said, half-joking. “But the whole purpose of designing the building the way we have is so we can get the students out of their rooms and hanging out with each other.”
Rooming at Calumet Hall will cost $8,000 per year for a single room and $6,250 per year to room with someone, according to signage posted around the dorm. All rooms come with beds, a wardrobe, desk and chair, so all the students really need is their clothes and the desire to make their first memories on campus count, she said.
Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., himself a PNW alum, said going to the school “changed his life” when he was a young dad just out of the U.S. Navy. He’s thrilled for the students who now get to have a different experience than he did.
“Where do we go from here? The best days for this campus are still ahead,” McDermott said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.