Lake Havasu is the newest ASU campus, which opened in fall 2012. (Photo by Rachel Nemeh)ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City has taken the first step to secure a long-term on-campus housing facility for its students.
ASU has signed a letter of intent with the owner of the Economy Inn on Acoma Boulevard to turn the motel into dorms. This is the first step in a lengthy process to secure campus housing for students at Lake Havasu.
David Young, director of ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu, said the current situation is still in an early development stage and no final decisions have been made yet.
“We are in the ‘Due Diligence’ phase and the final decision to purchase a property will come after the ‘Due Diligence.’ Specifics about things like dorm layout and remodeling have not been determined and will not be done until a purchase is finalized,” Young said in an e-mail.
The "Due Diligence" phase involves a 75-day inspection period of the property by the University. Once this phase is completed, the two parties will move into negotiations about the purchase price, which also has to be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, Young said.
Marshall Terrill, media relations officer at the Downtown campus, said the dormitory is projected to be completed by 2015.
“The long-term goal of the University is to convert the property and 62-room motel to a dormitory by the fall of 2015,” Terrill said in an e-mail.
Life Sciences majors, juniors, (left) Tom Bullock and Shelby Verhyen take advantage of Havasu's cool weather by socializing in-between classes with, organization leadership major, Kennan Espy (right), on the student center's patio. (Photo by Rachel Nemeh)Students who live on campus reside in a small block of rooms at the nearby Days Inn, which lies about a mile outside of campus. The Economy Inn’s property is closer to campus.
The addition of a dormitory on campus is just one example of how much the Lake Havasu campus has grown since its establishment in 2012, Terrill explains.
“ASU in Lake Havasu is the University's fifth campus and has attracted students from Lake Havasu City and other parts of Arizona, as well as students from Southern California and ten other states,” Terrill said. “It currently serves about 150 students and expects more than 1,000 learners in five years.”
Music theater major Benjamin Massouras lives on Tempe campus but experiences the conflict of overflowing dormitories daily.
"I think (the addition of dormitories on Havasu's campus) would be great, because the dorms here are being overpopulated and freshman are staying in hotels because there is too much overflow," Massouras said. "The campus needs to expand because more and more students are coming here each year, and there is not enough capacity for them."
ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City was established in 2012 as a teaching-focused extension of the main ASU campuses. It offers a selection of highly-demanded undergraduate majors, including business, communication and psychology.
Besides being located on one of Arizona’s most populated lake cities, the college prides itself on offering its students a cheaper tuition rate than any other ASU campus.
Even though the Lake Havasu campus offers a unique college experience to its students, Young explains having on-campus housing will contribute to a well-rounded college experience.
“Having a true residential college experience in Lake Havasu is significant and an important component to the academic success of our students.”
Reach the reporter at Jlsuerth@asu.edu or on Twitter at @SuerthJessica.
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