Last summer, a construction site popped up on Hunt Street across from McMurry’s tennis courts. The site is for a collection of new student apartments. While they may be currently causing a bit of a traffic jam, they also bring an opportunity for new traditions and excitement on campus.
Along with construction of new apartments, the current apartments will also be updated to match. New vinal planking and a fresh coat of paint will be added and should be completed in August. The new apartments are scheduled to be completed in December. There will be 24 units for a total of 94 beds, including accessible rooms for persons with disabilities. All new furniture including beds, couches, chairs and bar stools will be added. In addition, all units will have stove, refrigerator, microwave, and a built-in wardrobe, drawers and a desk with a chair. The new apartments will also feature a gazebo in the middle of the courtyard between the two buildings with an outdoor grill.
With the construction of new apartments, McMurry realized that students would need to be able to differentiate between the “current” apartments and the “new” ones. So, we reached out to our best resource for some new names—the students. A call went out on social media for students to submit name ideas for both sets of apartments. By submitting a name, students were entered into a drawing for a prize that would be announced with the new names at a campus housing party.
Several submissions came in and names were narrowed down to be recognizable and fit McMurry’s style. The campus housing party featured lawn games, pizza, and ice cream from local shop Roll Shack Ice Cream. Students also had the ability to chat with our housing directors and express interest in the new apartments that will open in Spring 2024.
As the students gathered with their ice cream and pizza, the new names were announced. The current apartments will now be called Aerie Heights. An aerie is another term for a hawk’s nest, and as our War Hawks will be residing there, Aerie Heights was a perfect fit.
The new apartments will be called Centennial Commons. As these apartments were constructed during our Centennial celebration, it was only appropriate that we commemorate the historic year with their name.
It’s been an exciting year for students to see all the activity on campus this year, and we can’t wait for them to move in to their new homes this coming Spring!