Drop in enrollment prompts University of Missouri to temporarily close some housing

The University of Missouri has decided to take three more residence halls out of service for 2017-18, bringing the total number of temporarily closed residence halls on the Columbia campus to seven.

The Columbia Missourian reports that Center, Responsibility and Discovery residence halls will not be available to students next year.

The university's Department of Residential Life had already announced that Respect, Excellence, Schurz and McDavid residence halls would not be open in 2017-18 unless there was a sizable increase in the incoming freshman class.

Center, Respect and Discovery were chosen to be temporarily closed because they are among the least energy-efficient residence halls that the university owns.

Two more halls, Laws and Lathrop, have been or are scheduled to be demolished by the end of the summer. A new hall, Brooks, opened in fall 2016, and a second new residence hall is scheduled to open in fall 2017. The new buildings are part of the Residential Life Master Plan that was approved in 2001 by the University of Missouri System Board of Curators.

After freshman enrollment for the 2016-17 academic year dropped by 1,470 students, or 24 percent, the university's Department of Residential Life decided to put Respect and Excellence residence halls on standby. Respect is being used as graduate student and guest and conference housing this year.

Discovery and Responsibility halls could be used in the coming year as guest and conference housing as Respect is, a university spokesperson says.

Center was built in 2006, and Respect, Responsibility, Discovery and Excellence were built in 2004. Schurz was renovated in 2008, and McDavid was renovated in 2007.

If Missouri determines during the freshman room assignment process that additional rooms are needed, the university will be able to reopen some of the student housing.