CLEVELAND, Tenn. - After the spring 2023 semester, all community style dorms on campus closed for renovations including Medlin Hall, Simmons Hall, and Nora Chambers Hall. On February 25, President Dr. Paul Conn announced in chapel that Medlin Hall and Simmons Hall would reopen in fall 2025.
A factor that inspired the decision to reopen these dorms is enrollment increase. Rocky Walker, director of residential life and housing, described how enrollment bounced back from COVID.
“[The university will] need those spaces with the anticipation of future enrollment growth,” said Walker.
For the male population, housing wanted to offer more on-campus single room options. Lorielen Sullivan, coordinator of housing, noted how on-campus options are limited for male students.
“A lot of people had to compete between apartment and townhome housing. Medlin is going to be able to alleviate that amount of availability, so that the people who want a single room in the male student body can have that option,” Sullivan said.
In addition to making room for future students, the housing office wanted to bring back tier one dorm pricing. Tier one dorm pricing is for all community style dorms and is the cheapest option for on-campus housing.
“There's a strong desire to create an alternative option for upperclassmen students who currently live off campus,” Walker said. “[We want] them to be able to come back and have a more affordable housing option on campus [and] to be able to still experience that community that they wouldn't be able to partake in when they move off campus.”
The housing application forms for Medlin Hall and Simmons Hall are different and separate from the advanced housing placement program to guarantee that all upperclassmen have an equal opportunity to be placed in these dorms.
“There are limited spots. If we were to open it for advanced housing placement, people are placing themselves. However, to ensure the people who really want it [Medlin and Simmons Hall placement], we are prioritizing people on a first come first serve basis, not just by senior credits,” Sullivan said.
These applications are not open to underclassmen due to adequate housing options tailored to underclassmen and to encourage community during their introductory years to college. While these rooms are single room priority, students can request housing for one roommate as long as there is a mutual agreement.
All dorms will be open for fall 2025, except for Nora Chambers Hall. Nora Chambers Hall will not reopen and is currently used for storage by various offices on campus.
For inquiries about Medlin Hall and Simmons Hall, contact housing@leeuniversity.edu.
