With a new fall semester comes some new changes. On the other side of the Charles A. Gaetano Stadium stands a brand new residence hall, Pioneer Village.

Pioneer Village is set to open its doors next fall and will house a mix of juniors, seniors and graduate students.

Assistant Director for Student Living Marissa Finch said that housing agreements for Pioneer Village were due by March 15 for priority and then a wait list was created from that deadline forward. The housing selection process for Pioneer Village took place last week and only had a few spaces left for anyone that was interested.

Finch said that once Pioneer Village is full, the wait list will start up once again in case a space opens up over the summer or at the beginning of next semester. It also has a lot of features and amenities that other residence halls on campus do not.

“There a bunch of great perks to living in Pioneer Village,” Finch said. “This includes in-apartment washer and dryer units, stoves in the apartments, dish washers and double-sized beds. Pioneer Village is designed to feel like off-campus housing with the amenities of living on-campus.”

Finch said that some students expressed their concern about the distance of the hall to other locations on campus, such as the library. She said that she did the walk herself and does not think it is too much further compared to other residence halls.

Daniela Montalvan is one student who is able to live in Pioneer Village in the fall. She said that out of everything else, she is most excited to live there because of its new furnishings and that she will be able to live with her best friends.

On the other side, Montalvan said that she is not looking forward to the distance from classes and how close it is to the stadium. She said she is not looking forward to being woken up on a Saturday morning because of the loudspeakers at the stadium.

“It’s a little bit more secluded from campus making, it even more exclusive to upperclassmen and the parking which most residential students fight for,” Montalvan said. “Also, each suite has its own kitchen which makes me excited to cook.”

Kendrah Stewart will also be living in Pioneer Village in the fall. Like Montalvan, Stewart said she is looking forward to it being a brand new building with new furnishings. It will not be worn down or dirty.

Stewart said that the housing selection process was not stressful because one of her suitemates is a resident assistant. Therefore, they knew they would get into Pioneer Village but just was not sure where.

Stewart said that there were a few things that make the hall stand out against other ones on campus.

“The fact that you have a view of all of the games and the parking that will be set up as well as the style is something that makes it stand out,” Stewart said. “They’re all singles and it’s more apartment style, so you don’t have to share laundry with strangers or walk to the cafe for an actual meal.”

Michelle Davis is also living in Pioneer Village in the fall. She is looking forward to taking advantage of the space that is offered and being able to live with her friends.

“The selection process was not bad, but it was stressful waiting to see if we got in,” Davis said. “It stands out against other halls because it’s apartment style living with it’s own parking lot and because of how nice it looks.”

Pioneer Village holds 144 students, three student residence buildings, four single gender-inclusive rooms per suite with double beds, two full bathrooms per suite, in-apartment laundry facilities and a full kitchen with a stove and dishwasher.

Residents of Pioneer Village will still be required to purchase an on-campus meal plan but more details about a lower cost Pioneer Village option is set to release soon.

For more information, visit https://www.utica.edu/student/reslife/halls/pioneervillage.cfm.