Follow Up: SCSU’s Stearns Hall to Reopen this Fall

ST. CLOUD -- Our next stop in our "Whatever Happened With That?" follow-up series, brings us back to the campus of St. Cloud State University.

St. Cloud State has made several changes to its residential halls over the last 10 years and now it's making another substantial change. Stearns Resident Hall, which has been closed for four years, was on deck to be demolished but now the university has had second thoughts.

Jennifer Sell Matzke is the Associate Dean of Students and the Director of Residential Life at SCSU. She says Stearns Hall will be reopening this fall and will cater to students who want more independence.

"It will be an upper division living environment, so increased independence, we will have less staff there. [It will give] students the opportunity to have a place to live and transition into that more independent lifestyle."

Sell Matzke says Stearns Hall will be for returning, transfer, graduate and commuter students only. Units will be about $400 per month for a double room and $500 for a single. She says one of the most attractive features offered to students living in Stearns will be bundled parking.

"Students will have the opportunity to have close, convenient parking bundled in with the amount they pay for housing. They will basically be able to make one payment that will be used to cover their housing, all of their utilities and parking."

Another benefit, Sell Matzke says is students who choose to live in Stearns will not be required to have a meal plan. Residential meal plans range from about $1,400 - $4,000 per school year.

One of the main reasons St. Cloud State has decided to reopen Stearns is because it will need more available dorm rooms when the university decides to rebuild Mitchell Hall. SCSU announced in its 2016 Comprehensive Plan that they would like to rebuild Mitchell Hall within the next decade. No official dates have been set yet for that project.

As for other residential halls, Benton Hall, which closed last year, doesn't have any future plans set. Sell Matzke says Benton will remain closed for right now. She adds Benton needs about $500,000 in maintenance repairs and SCSU is still deciding the best course of action for the hall.

The remaining halls, Case-Hill, Lawrence, Shoemaker, Sherburne, Stateview Apartments and Coborn Plaza don't have any significant upgrades or changes in the works right now.