08-11-06

Old becomes new as residence hall opens for returning Iowa State students

AMES, Iowa -- After being closed for more than a year, Wallace Hall on the Iowa State University campus will once again welcome students this fall.

The residence hall, one of the two remaining "towers" on the south side of campus, was reopened to provide more living choices for students. Wallace is an option for students wanting to live in single-person rooms.

Wallace opened originally in1967 and was closed in 2005 due to budget considerations. It was one of the four original towers -- the others were Storms, Knapp and Wilson. Storms and Knapp were demolished in 2005.

The Wallace reopening is in response to student feedback. "Students told us they wanted more single-room living options," said Pete Englin, director of residence life. "We were able to address this student want relatively quickly with Wallace Hall. In the future we'll continue to change and evolve as students' needs and wants change."

Englin says that while Wallace wasn't open to students, it wasn't dormant. "In the past year, Wallace has been used to house attendees to two major events and is ready to house students this fall," he said.

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