A new addition to the West Texas A&M campus is currently making its way upward. Founders Hall will join the list of residence halls and soon be open to students.

Founders Hall will be a coed dorm housing 400 residents and will be open in the fall of 2013. This dorm will be similar to Centennial in some ways, such as price.

“I think the new dorm is a great addition to our campus and will hopefully attract more new students from outside the panhandle,” said senior peer leader Kasey Borchardt.

The new dorm will be designed for interaction, according to Jon Behrens, senior director of Residential Living. Founders Hall will be equipped with small and group study rooms, outdoor furniture and seating areas for programs and hanging out.

“We anticipate having a high demand for new students,” said Behrens.

One of the biggest issues this semester has been parking. The plan for this new dorm is to eventually add parking to the east. There are also some “green” steps being taken in the construction of the dorm.

“It’s great that the campus is continuing to grow,” said Sally Kennon, a senior Biology major. “I know that new dorms are appealing to new students considering universities. But, over the past four years it feels like we have built enough new dorms. I think they should do some renovating to the ones we have.”

As Founders Hall continues with construction, things such as comfort and interaction are part of the blueprints. The rise of this new residential hall will make it the largest and most state-of-the-art on campus.