A snip of a ribbon in front of Shining Rock Hall on Sept. 2 marked newness and accomplishment for WCU’s campus.
A ceremony was held celebrating the completion of Shining Rock Hall and Water Rock Hall. Black Rock Hall is one of “The Rocks” residential halls but will not be completed until late September or early October according to Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.
“Opening up The Rocks is a great opportunity, not only for our students but the whole community,” Brown said during the reception, highlighting positive impacts on engagement across the student body.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was hosted by Chancellor Brown and the WCU Board of Trustees. Also in attendance was Student Body President Estefany Gordillo-Rivas and Student Body Vice President CJ Mitchell, as well as other members of the WCU community.
The ceremony began with a welcome from Brown and remarks from Dr. Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Bob Roberts, chair of the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees. The ceremony ended with concluding remarks from Chancellor Brown and the ribbon cutting.
In Brown’s welcome, she recognized and thanked those who worked on the residence halls. One of those groups was Vannoy Construction which was female-lead by Caitlin Jones and full of WCU alumni.
A tour of Shining Rock Hall and light refreshments followed the ceremony.
Shining Rock Hall has five floors with double rooms and single rooms with heat and air.
The dorms are currently missing the supplies needed to loft the beds. Signs on the doors warn residents not to attempt to loft the beds for their safety. The doors are also missing peepholes, with no word yet on whether they will be installed or not.
Every floor has a separate communal bathroom for men and women. Single-toilet restrooms are also on every floor including gender-neutral ones.
Lars Fusco, a resident of Shining Rock Hall, described their delight with the dorm and the people who live there.
“I believe that Shining Rock is a great community, and all the RAs are really nice,” Fusco said.
Water Rock Hall, Black Rock Hall, and Shining Rock Hall were all named after mountains near WCU. The new residence halls replaced Scott and Walker halls, according to the ceremony pamphlet.
