Investment approved to improve housing

Residence halls and West Campus Apartments to see improvements in 2014-15

A $1.6 million investment to improve housing for 2014-15 was approved by Ferris State University’s Board of Trustees at its meeting on Friday, Feb. 21.

The investment focuses on improvements to student residence halls as well as West Campus Apartments.

Upgrades will focus on floor covering, lighting, improved wireless internet services, painting and residence hall lobbies and front desks. Halls scheduled for improvements include Clark, Cramer, Hallisy, North and South Bond, Puterbaugh, Vandercook and Ward.

Ferris pharmacy junior and Puterbaugh resident Peggy Curriston said the updates for next year will make her stay better.

Curriston is a desk service manager and said she hopes the front desk in Puterbaugh is redone.

“It would be really nice for it to get redone,” Curriston said. “I know other halls have the marble countertops and new things behind the desk and I think it would be nice to see that here.”

West Campus Apartments upgrades include selected replacements of appliances, doors and furnaces.

“We understand that our housing facilities become our students’ home away from home,” Jerry Scoby, vice president for administration and finance, said.

Scoby said input from students has been sought out in order to make housing facilities more desirable for students.

“We have heard from students that we need to provide more robust wireless technology in some of the facilities,” Scoby said. “Another example of an improvement that came from residents is the addition of another laundry room in Cramer.”

Improvements on housing facilities have been occurring since 2010. These improvements are scheduled to be completed between May 2014 and September 2015, with most of the work being completed in the summer.

Associate Vice President of the Physical Plant Mike Hughes is currently mapping out the projects desired to be completed this summer.

According to Ferris’ website, funding for improvements will come from Housing Maintenance and Repair funds and the Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance Initiative.