Published: August 29, 2008 10:32 pm      

NIAGARA COUNTY: NCCC’s new on-campus housing opens its doors

Ron Ward hauled the last bag out of his van and onto the cart, which was already stacked with four other pieces of luggage.

“We’ve got another van full of stuff too,” Ward said with a laugh.

He traveled five hours from Johnstown, Pa., to help his daughter Kimberly move into her new home at Niagara County Community College on Friday.

Kimberly, 21, will be majoring in radiological technology, a popular program she had difficulty getting into in Pennsylvania.

“If they didn’t have the housing, we wouldn’t be here,” her father said.

Just a couple hundred feet away, college officials were celebrating their new occupants during a special dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the housing — this week marks the first time students will live at NCCC while they learn, expanding the college’s reach to local and out-of-town students alike.

“This is the day many of us have been waiting for,” said James Klyczek, president of the college. “I’m both anxious and relieved it’s finally arrived.”

The $19.3 million housing complex, officially called The Village College Suites at NCCC, is the first new building since NCCC’s Sanborn campus was constructed in 1973 and is just the first part of a three-phase plan to bring more living quarters to students.

An apartment-style suite shared by four students with private bedrooms is furnished with beds, couches, chairs and tables, include a kitchen with a stove, microwave and full-sized refrigerator for $4,900 per semester. On-site features include a soundproof music room, a fitness center, laundry facilities and 24-hour security.

For Settimia Tripi, 20, who will finish up her health and physical education associate’s degree this year, the new housing presents a great way to live on her own for the first time.

“It has the stove and the refrigerator — I want to learn how to cook so I can use the new stove,” she said with a laugh. “It feels like your own first apartment and it’s a good way to understand how to live.”

Along with her new sense of independence, living on campus will end her daily commutes from North Buffalo, which means more time to sleep in and less money to spend on gas.

A commute wasn’t an option for 17-year-old Romi Swindon, though. She’s from Cortland, three hours away, but was looking for on-campus housing in a community college setting.

“I had plenty of chances to go to community colleges around me, but I wanted to get out and get a real college experience — but I didn’t think I was ready for a university experience,” she said. “I wanted to start out slow and NCCC was pretty affordable for me and my family. We checked it out and looked at the housing and I loved it. I just felt like this was the place for me. I came from a small town and I’m going to a small town college.”

Swindon, a resident advisor, is hopeful the on-campus community will foster school spirit and make NCCC student events a hit. College officials are hoping so too. They believe the new on-site suites, which are operated by United Corporation, will help the college attract students from outside the Niagara County population and promote an image as an institution of higher education. Nearly two-thirds of community colleges in the state have or are looking to add student housing, Klyczek said.

Of the 308 available beds, 215 are filled and tours are still available by calling 731-8850. For more information, visit http://www.nccollegesuites.com.

Contact reporter Caitlin Murrayat 282-2311, ext. 2251.