Hunter Hall Experience Waiver opens on campus opportunity to all qualifying students

As the construction of Hunter Hall comes to a conclusion and the Aug. 22-24 move-in days approach, residence life is coming to UHCL. 

Announced July 1 by Matthew Perry, director of student housing and residence life, the “Hunter Hall Experience Waiver” provides an opportunity for students to save up to $855 each semester for residents living in Hunter Hall.

“For us, with our ‘live, learn, engage’ model, we really want to get as many students as possible, not just to live [in Hunter Hall] and exist there but we want to bring that academic piece into the residence hall and keep these students engaged on campus,” Perry said.

The Hunter Hall Experience Waiver is a way to make on-campus housing more affordable for students. It is Perry’s hope that the waiver gives more students the opportunity financially to live on campus and be a part of the experience it offers.

“This [waiver] is going to help so many more people to make this a reality. It’s not inexpensive, this experience, so I think this is going to enlarge the number of people who can take advantage of the opportunity,” said David Rachita, dean of students.

Students looking to qualify for the Hunter Hall Experience Waiver can find the application on the UHCL website on the housing page for Hunter Hall. Applicants must be full-time students, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, meet all terms of the housing contract and have a completed FAFSA or TASFA for 2019-2020 on file with the Financial Aid Office.

In regard to the estimated occupancy of Hunter Hall, Perry said Hunter Hall Experience Waiver applicants are currently being reviewed and did not want to provide a number that is subject to change.

Hunter Hall is slated to open Aug. 22, the first move-in day for residents of the facility. Perry said the move-in days will be “organized chaos” where students will be given access to their rooms and be acquainted with on student services and resources for their transition into campus life. 

“President Blake will be volunteering, Hunter the Hawk will be out there, several members of the senior leadership team have already signed up to be volunteers which is awesome,”  Perry said. “We’re also working on getting some NASA employees to come to be a part of it.”

Move-in days and times will be staggered in order for students living on different floors to move in more easily. Students can move in early, if needed, by completing an early arrival form and paying $25 daily until the first move-in day, available on the Hunter Hall webpage.

The building dedication for Hunter Hall is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 16 in the morning, with programming currently being finalized for the event.

“I think that Hunter Hall will strengthen and support the great work we are doing here in student affairs,” said Aaron Hart, vice president for the division of student affairs.

Students interested in Hunter Hall, the experience waiver or early arrival can find more information here. If you’d like to participate in volunteering for move-in day, you can sign up here.