UW Bothell breaks ground on major residence hall

The University of Washington Bothell broke ground on a major residence hall project Wednesday, which will triple the number of students who will be able to live on campus.

The first ceremonial shovels of dirt were moved by the campus’ president, chancellor and others.

The new 300,000-square-foot student housing community will offer room for more than a thousand new students across three six-story buildings, providing more living options on the campus.

“If you know people, you’ll also excel academically, and so I think that’s also another aspect within a college — It’s not only academically achieving, but also networking, getting to know more people and just having a good time here,” UW Bothell student Amelia Alma said, when asked about the residence hall project.

“What we know is that students succeed when they feel connected to the campus, when they feel connected to their faculty, whey feel connected to each other and they have a sense of belonging. And we know that for students-in-residence, they develop so much out of that classroom that goes along with their in-class experience,” said UW Bothell chancellor Kristin Esterberg.

The celebration of the new project also comes with some frustration, as a concrete strike is causing a delay in construction.

However, if the strike ends in the next few weeks and construction gets rolling, KIRO 7 was told half the project will be completed in a year, leaving another year to finish the entire student village.

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