New residence hall 'towers' over UIC campus
When UIC welcomed the new freshman class in the fall of 2007, a lot fewer students
went home to the suburbs than in years past.
In fact, thanks to the
opening of the campus'
newest residence hall, James
Stukel Towers, more than
half of the UIC freshman class are residential
students at what used to be a quintessential
commuter campus.
Located on Rochford Street, Stukel Towers,
named for the University's 15th president and
former UIC chancellor, is across the street
from two other residence halls, Thomas
Beckham and Marie Robinson halls,
named for two former UIC vice chancellors
for student affairs. The former president,
who has lived in Chicago since his 2005
retirement, pronounced the residence hall's
being named for him both "a real honor"
and "a little strange knowing that upcoming
generations of students will see my name
on a building."
The students don't think Stukel Towers is
strange, though. They voted with their feet
to live in the four towers of varying heights,
the tallest 12 stories. The 740 undergraduate
beds are in single and double rooms arranged
in four-, five- and eight-person suites, all
wired for cable and Internet. There are
special-interest floors for honors students:
engineering; business; women science
and engineering; arts; and liberal arts and
sciences career exploration. Common areas
include two-story study lounges, computer
labs, meeting rooms, a dining hall, snack
bar, student government rooms and an
auditorium. All contribute to the sense of
community.
Stukel Towers' floor-to-ceiling windows and
the cityscape beyond notwithstanding,
the $750-million South Campus
development, with its coffee
shops, bookstore, gym, bank
and trendy stores, looks like
Collegetown, USA.
Stukel Towers marks the
next step in UIC history
from Navy Pier to
Circle Campus to the
merging of the east
and west campuses,
and now, to largescale
residential
college life.
Reporting: Sonya Booth, UIC News editor
