BBCC dorms benefit from increased security
An aerial view of BBCC dorms Viking Hall and Phillips Hall. The dorms housed 156 students in fall quarter, almost at capacity, according to college officials.
MOSES LAKE - Increased security, including more security patrols, improved lighting and additional cameras, may have had an impact on near-record levels of occupancy in Big Bend Community College dorms, according to a press release from the college.
The dorm had 156 residents for fall quarter, Doug Sly, the college's public information officer, said. That was a 50 percent increase over fall quarter 2012, he said. "Big Bend is one of the few community colleges in the state that owns and operates on-campus residence halls," Sly said. About 150 students are expected to return for winter quarter 2014, he said.
The security upgrades followed a 2011 incident where a student was abducted at knifepoint from a parking lot on campus, robbed and raped. Jerald Thomas, a transient, was arrested and charged in the case.
The dorms once served as officers' quarters for Larson Air Force Base, Sly said.
"It can be a financial risk to own residence halls because they receive no direct state funding. Residence halls are enterprise operations that can burden the college if they don't pay their own way," Sly said.
College officials purchased cameras during the summer to monitor the dorm interiors and parking lots, residence hall director Hugh Scholte said. The college hired a third night security officer, which expands the presence of on-scene officers to six days per week, Scholte said. Five resident advisors also monitor the buildings, Sly said.
The average age of resident hall students increased, with 27 students older than age 25, Scholte said. Student population included seven students with disabilities, eight nursing students, six military veterans, 39 athletes and 30 first-year flight students. "Hosting such a diverse group required us to change how we allocate floor and room space to meet the needs of our students and provide an environment conducive to academic success," Scholte said.
The fee is $900 per quarter for shared rooms, $1,080 for a single room. The fees don't include meal plans, but the residence halls have shared kitchens. The college does have a dining commons.
"We provide the most affordable on-campus housing in the state," Scholte said, and affordability remains a priority. "Given our large service district and the number of low-income families in our district, keeping our costs low allows students better access to educational opportunities," he said.
The residence halls are used in the spring for new student orientation in the Japanese Agriculture Training Program, and high school students use them in the summer, during the Upward Bound program. The Washington Army National Guard uses the dorms during annual training, Sly said.