The road to eventually calling the University of Texas at El Paso one’s alma mater often starts with a simple question — where will I live?
Thanks to the new $102 million, 155,500-square-foot freshmen dorm called Miner Crossing, which broke ground on Thursday, May 28, that query has a clear answer.
The new development, which will be adjacent to Kidd Field on Glory Road, will have a total of 507 beds in single- and double-occupancy rooms. Amenities in the five-story building will include a 22,000-square-foot dining room for 400 guests. It will prepare more than 1,400 meals daily at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“UTEP is growing and, for the first time last fall, we surpassed 26,000 students,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said. “Our budget for the next year presumes the fifth year in a row with no increase to student tuition and fees. Over the last five years, we’ve had more students applying to UTEP from across Texas. That means good housing is more important than ever.”
The dorms will be ready for the fall 2028 semester. Currently, UTEP has 1,000 beds on campus and has had a waiting list for housing for the past four years.
Students interested in applying for on-campus housing can do so through a dedicated portal.
What amenities will Miner Crossing have?
The dining area will boast available meal plans for students, the first student housing on campus to offer such options, and will have 11 food stations with a full kitchen that runs the gamut from pizza, a grill, salad bar, deli and ice cream bar.
For stress relief and student fitness, the building will also house a 1,350-square-foot fitness center.
“At UTEP, our goal is to empower students to get them ready for careers after graduation,” said Catie McCorry-Andalis, vice president of Student Affairs. “Students who live on campus are much more involved in student life, create a support system, get their degree faster. They also often have much higher grade point averages as well.”
Designers Ayers Saint Gross, along with builder Sundt Construction, will highlight the iconic Bhutanese architectural style with xeriscaping by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects.
The building layout will incorporate a decorative courtyard and breezeway close to Kidd Field for students to have easy access to the track and still be within walking distance of the main campus and nearby locations on Mesa Street.
McCorry-Andalis also noted Miner Crossing will be an outward sign that the university will support every aspect of a student to make them more dynamic graduates.
Campus housing a gateway to ‘community’
For Andrea Reyes Venegas, a junior multimedia journalism major, she can still recall her two-hour commute from Juárez for 7 a.m. classes prior to being given a dorm on campus. The difference between having to get up at 4 a.m. to make it to UTEP to the 10 minutes it is now is nothing short of profound.
“Living on campus was a life-changing experience that taught me to live on my own,” Venegas said. “I built amazing friendships, and although some have graduated, I still keep in touch with them. It’s more than not having to get up early or being able to get to class early. It’s about being part of a community.”
She credits the move as the reason for feeling she is part of an academic and student culture she craved when she started her degree plan.
“The staff makes every effort to make the student community active and engaged,” Venegas said. “For those who come from other countries like me, it can be isolating, but UTEP housing makes that something shared and that brings us together.”
The friendships made during her three years at the university have been a coping tool and academic resource she never imagined it would become.
“Once this building opens, students will be able to experience all the amazing things it will have,” she said. “Go Miners!”
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP breaks ground on freshmen dorm construction
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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