From UNI:
The University of Northern Iowa has requested approval from the Iowa Board of Regents to acquire the apartment complex currently known as The Quarters adjacent to campus in Cedar Falls. The 10-acre property features 11 buildings that can accommodate up to 480 residents. The facility also includes on-site parking, a pool and clubhouse, along with a basketball court and sand volleyball area.
The proposed purchase is included in the Iowa Board of Regents docket that was released Tuesday and is pending Board approval at its upcoming January 15 meeting.
“The University of Northern Iowa continually strives to provide our students with an environment where they can achieve their educational, professional and personal life goals,” said UNI President Mark Nook. “This proposed purchase would provide even more of our students with the type of housing experience they are seeking, while allowing them to live in close proximity to the rest of our UNI campus community and the services they access daily.”
The $21.2 million complex is located just west of the McLeod Center at 2124 West 27th Street and will be funded by Dormitory Revenue Bonds. Since UNI Housing & Dining is a self-supporting auxiliary unit, no general education fund dollars would be spent to acquire this property.
“UNI students continue to express their desire for additional on-campus housing options, and apartment-style living is popular among upper level students,” said Nick Rafanello, assistant vice president & executive director of UNI Housing & Dining. “Adding an additional contemporary option to our existing housing inventory is another way we are responding to the needs of today’s UNI students.”
UNI research has determined students who live on campus typically achieve higher grade point averages and graduate at higher rates than those who do not. Among students who enrolled at UNI as freshman in 2020 and graduated in May 2024, 90% of that group lived on campus for at least two years.
More details on the transition process for current residents of The Quarters complex, as well as details for students seeking to sign a contract at the facility will be finalized and announced subject to the Board’s approval of the purchase.
UNI is also requesting permission from the Board to take down Campbell Hall, a measure that is also pending approval at the January 15 meeting. This former residence hall had the capacity to house 583 students. It has been unoccupied for the past three years and has accrued an estimated $27.1 million in deferred maintenance. Originally constructed in the 1950s, the facility is the only UNI residence hall without a fire sprinkler system and suffers from inadequate building systems, a lack of ADA accessible restrooms and living spaces, as well as no passenger elevator.
Since Campbell Hall is in need of significant repairs and students are seeking apartment-style living, UNI is proposing the removal of the building and returning the footprint to greenspace. The estimated $3.8 million cost of the demolition would be funded from UNI Housing & Dining sources and no general education fund dollars would be utilized.
“Campbell Hall will always have a special place in the hearts of its former residents and many others,” Nook commented. “Thanks to the leadership of the building’s namesake, longtime Dean of Women Sadie B. Campbell, as well as many student leaders, a special sense of community and camaraderie existed in the former North Hall for many years. We will explore other ways to commemorate Miss Campbell’s contributions to our university.”
On May 23, 1952, a resolution was passed to rename North Hall to Campbell Hall to honor the retiring Dean of Women. Campbell spent 23 years in that role prior to retiring on July 1, 1952.