By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Three universities in the St. Louis area are opening new dormitories in time for the beginning of fall classes.
On Monday, Harris-Stowe State University dedicated its first-ever residence hall. The $15 million building will house more than 200 students.
The university's Constance Bowman said most Harris-Stowe students commute, but a growing number want to live on campus.
"We started getting more of the 18 to 24 year olds," Bowman said. "A lot of our students wanted to stay in St. Louis, but they didn't necessarily want to stay home with their parents."
Elsewhere, students at the University of Missouri - St. Louis will move into a new dorm in time for the start of classes next week.
And Webster University is opening two new residence halls and plans to renovate a third.
At UMSL, a new $26 million building will also house a convenience store and outdoor heated pool.
Spokeswoman Kedra Tolson says the university is trying to encourage more students to live on campus: "We will house approximately 1,030 and about 285 of them will live in the new residence hall, which is called Oak Hall."
UMSLs other dorms are in buildings converted from other uses; this is the first campus building designed to be a residence hall.