The University of Wyoming opened the doors to its newest campus facility with a tour event Friday morning.
Members of the public, faculty, students and locals were invited to explore the latest addition to campus — North Hall and the Dining Center.
The event provided an opportunity to tour the four available room types for incoming students, as well as the new location for dining facilities.
North Hall, a centerpiece of the university’s largest-ever construction project, offers 410 beds in a resident building designed to emphasize flexibility, sustainability and community. The $285.5 million campus expansion features four room configurations including double, single, semi-suite shared bathroom and semisuite private bathroom.
Each room is fully loftable and includes an individual desk, closet space and a vanity. Rooms also feature individual climate control, allowing residents to set their preferred temperature, which automatically turns off when the window is opened to promote energy efficiency.
“We fill the rooms based on our living learning communities,” said Cole Thomas, UW’s resident coordinator. “Our living learning communities are based around majors and interests. One of the pods will be the business LLC. It’ll have a (resident advisor) that specializes or majors in business.”
Each floor includes communal study areas, secure access systems for every dorm and designated trash rooms. Elevators are activated using a student-designed system, and the building also features on-site laundry facilities and a mail room.
North Hall is anticipated to be fully occupied for the upcoming semester, as students respond to the availability of new housing options and updated amenities. The residence hall will provide additional capacity for on-campus living as part of the university’s ongoing efforts to address student housing needs.
Adjacent to North Hall, the two-story Dining Center acts as a hub for campus life. It’s designed to serve a broad audience, including staff, faculty and students, both on and off campus. The facility will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner across nine unique platforms.
“The nice thing is, there’s gonna be two meal plans. There’s going to be an unlimited five and unlimited seven plan,” Thomas said. “The unlimited five can get into the dining area Monday through Friday as many times as they want. The unlimited seven just includes the weekends. The idea is that it can be a grab and go between classes, or you can sit down and have a full meal.”
The dining stations include offerings such as The Ranch, featuring burgers, sandwiches, and hearty sides; Prexy’s Pasture Salad Bar, with a focus on plant-forward and farm-to-table options, and The Spice Road, which delivers a variety of Asian flavors.
Sabor presents rustic and refined dishes inspired by Central and South America, while The Extra Mile specializes in allergen-conscious eats. Mangia serves traditional Italian favorites like scratch-made pizzas and sauces. Americana offers classic comfort food and Etcetera provides protein-packed bites that combine fuel with flavor. The Bucking Horse Bakery rounds out the menu with fresh, scratch-made desserts.
The North Hall and Dining Center are the first components of a larger project that also includes South Hall, scheduled to open in the spring semester. South Hall will add 542 beds, further expanding the university’s housing capacity and enhancing campus infrastructure. Together, North and South Halls will provide over 950 beds.
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