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Sunday, 05 October 2008 |
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As many of us already know, FIU has gained prestige among Florida’s community of universities and colleges for its’ rapid growth in population and academic achievements. It is only natural, therefore, that we can expect further development and expansion from fiu. With a new football stadium, a future medical school, and a soon to come Frost Museum, one wonders what else is in store for our University.
New Dorms
Many students at FIU are first and foremost looking forward to the development of brand new dormitories to accommodate the expansion of FIU’s enrollment. Anyone who has ever tried registering for on-campus living knows that the waiting list is already a mile long. The new dormitories are therefore a welcomed addition to the campus... or are they?
The dormitories will be built in the place of what is now the Panther Hall parking lot and are to be six stories high with approximately 820 bed spaces fully furnished with kitchens and living rooms. The new dormitories are expected to become the central hub of the FIU on-campus housing and will be occupied mostly by upper classmen. These dormitories will become the Hurricane Evacuation Center for Miami- Dade County.
Less Parking
So what's going to happen to the already limited parking once these dormitories are built? Well rest easy, the university also plans to build two new garages on the outskirts of these dorms. These parking garages will be used to accommodate FIU residents as well as visitors, such as those attending the annual county fair event.
There are many other planned additions to the FIU South campus including a mixed use facility featuring “new urbanism” architectural concepts, that might be called “Main Street Village”. Imagine a new, larger Graham Center with different retail shops dominating the Southwest 17th street corridor. Also in the project are faculty housing and a new set of offices to include a Financial Aid Office, a Registrar’s Office, and a Cashier’s office. A new soccer field and baseball field are also underway, anticipated to be far bigger and better than their predecessors. Many of these infrastructure changes are expected to begin no later than June 2010, soon after the completion of the new medical school.Growing Pains
It is a reality that many students here at FIU already feel the strain of limited on campus space. Parking is a nightmare, classes are packed, and housing is nowhere to be found; how many more students can we really expect to accommodate here at FIU? Is the university moving a little too fast too soon? Are tuition and housing fees going to skyrocket?
The people here at Back\slash Magazine are forever interested in hearing what you have to say so submitt your comments to
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Also, make sure to check out or next issue for a follow up on about the Future of Florida International University.
\P. Potter\Student FIU\
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