Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

UT opens dorm for juniors, seniors

Kennedy Place is an 11-story co-ed residence hall for up to 182 students.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published August 25, 2006

HYDE PARK NORTH - There's getting off on the wrong foot. There's getting stuck on foot.

And then there's both, thus the fate of a student moving into Kennedy Place.

Her red Nissan Sentra with an Alabama license plate was parked outside the University of Tampa's newest high-rise residence hall during move-in time at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The problem: It had been there since 7 a.m.

Tampa police had the Sentra towed about 2:30, leaving the student without a ride. A resident assistant taped an apologetic note to the door of the young woman's room advising her of the tow.

Spartans, welcome to your new home.

Kennedy Place, all 11 stories of it, is finally open at W Kennedy Boulevard and S Hyde Park Avenue, across from the private university's main entrance.

Granted, it might not appear open. Construction crews continued working on the entrance area this week behind a 6-foot fence.

Students were allowed to start living in Kennedy Place on Wednesday, but Tuesday served as an opportunity to drop off things for their rooms.

The residence hall for upperclassmen has 122 single units and 30 double units, each with bathrooms and small kitchenettes.

Like all of UT's residence halls, Kennedy Place is fully co-ed. Well, almost fully - a male and female student cannot share the same double room.

Kennedy Place has many unfinished interior walls, which seemed to confuse some incoming students, resident assistant Starr Brookins said: "They're like, 'They forgot to paint that.' "

"It looks incomplete, but it's not," explained Alma Loya, another resident assistant. "It's supposed to be urban chic."

The students, both 20, like their rooms at Kennedy Place. From one room, they showed off a stunning view of downtown from a northern-facing window on the top floor.

"I like it because it's a lot closer to campus," said Brookins, who used to live in David A. Straz Hall on N Boulevard.

Also happy to see Kennedy Place up and running is Mirta's Gallery CoffeeHouse co-owner Duane Hall. The art gallery and coffeehouse is next door, facing Hyde Park Avenue, and the associated construction has been a pain.

And even while crews continue working on Kennedy Place, the city is improving medians in a stretch of Kennedy Boulevard right out front.

"We're hoping to get a lot of business from it, obviously, but we just want to get the construction out of the way," Hall said.

A few months ago, Mirta's owners had considered opening a back patio through a side door that faces the new residence hall, but now it looks like "that's probably not going to happen," Hall said.

However, Mirta's is in the process of requesting approval for a new feature that should be a hit with students 21 and older: a beer and wine license.

Still, Mirta's coffee, art and wireless Internet connection should interest the neighboring students, said Peter Botti, 31, a sculptor and painter who works there.

"I think it'll be great for business, with that many students right in the area," Botti said. "I hope it will make it a lot more sidewalk-friendly. It'll be so much nicer when we actually have foot traffic there."

His co-worker, Rama Jordan, 24, had only one concern: That the new neighbors don't add an influx of the "stupid, hungry girls" who sometimes stop in and drive her crazy.

For example?

"One ordered cheesecake, and she's like, 'Are there eggs or cheese in here?' I mean, yeah, it's cheesecake. And she says, 'Because I'm lactose intolerant.' "

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431.

[Last modified August 24, 2006, 08:23:24]