Higher Education: Dorms
Sweet Dreams: Trendy Dorms in Florida
Schools are spending millions on plush residence halls, looking for an edge in recruiting.
 Juniper-Poplar is the biggest dorm on USF's campus, with some floors having themed living learning communities. The dorm also has its own dining hall. [Photo: University of South Florida] |
Juniper-Poplar
University of South Florida, Tampa
Building cost: $65 million
Beds: 1,050
Opened: 2009
Amenities: Ethernet connection for each resident, cable TV, 24-hour emergency maintenance, three state-of-the-art "smart" classrooms, in-house dining hall that can accommodate 350, convenience store, Starbucks, barbecue-style restaurant
Floor plans: Suite-style. Each suite has two double bedrooms and one bathroom
Rates: $2,616/semester
Notable: Rooms at USF's largest residence hall are more spacious than many of the school's other dorms. Some of the floors are themed living learning communities intended to foster ties between students with similar academic interests. The school's Honors College residences are also housed in Juniper-Poplar as is a bridge program for international students, which pairs one honors student with one international student in a living unit so both have an opportunity to learn about different cultures and lifestyles. The building has its own live-in academic. Julie Langford, an assistant professor of history who has lived in the residence hall since it opened, invites colleagues to speak at a "lunch and learn" lecture series and teaches her "Sex in the City" class on ancient Rome in the building's classrooms.
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