New University of Regina residence ready for students

There will be 600 more students living on campus at the University of Regina this academic year.

Students will be moving into the university's newest residence, Kisik Towers, on Friday and Saturday.Kisikmeans sky inSaulteaux.

The towers include 280 four bedroom apartments,198 private dorms with bathrooms, 104 two bedroom apartments, 16 two bedroom accessible apartments, and 8 studio apartments.

University president Vianne Timmons said the schoollistened to students on what they wanted in the latest build.

"In the other towers, there aresome rooms that have a shared bathroom and the students indicated that's not their preference," she said. "Students today are looking for a more comfortable life, more privacy."

The newest residence bumps the on-campus residency capacityto 10 per cent, which Timmons said is still below the national average.

• Details released on new U of R residence

That's music to the ears of the University of Regina Students Union presidentDevon Peters.

"This is a really cool opportunity because a lot of our programming ends up getting directed at the students who live on campus," he said. "Having a bigger community, it just means you can do more. There's more opportunity, more people coming out."

Timmons also touts the buildings as more energy efficient than the last residence towers, built in 2005.

The bill, she said, is "not much more" than those towers, either.

In Sept. 2013, the university disclosed to the government that the project was going to come in $9 million over budget.

U of R parking woes continue

While the towers are ready for residents, a nearby parking lot is not complete.

The university says that part of the project won't be finished until November, which Peters called"a bummer" due to an ongoing parking crunch at the U of R.

• U of R residence students scramble to get parking

Timmons said residents will be able to find parking elsewhere on campus, but it might include a bit of a hike.

Classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8.