Delaware State University dedicates new residence hall

Delaware State University has held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially dedicate a state-of-the-art residence hall on the Dover campus.

Tubman Laws Hall is a five-story facility that opened for the fall 2019 semester with nearly 200,000 square feet of space. It provides campus housing for 620 upperclass students in semi-suite and suite-style units. It also has a new dining facility along with an innovation center on the ground floor that connects academic programs and the student affairs environment.

 “We are delighted that we have been able to construct and open a state-of-the-art facility at this time, while still maintaining the history of the university by keeping the names of the two facilities that were demolished," said University President Wilma Mishoe, president of Delaware State University.

The residence halls torn down to make room for the new housing were named for Harriet Tubman, the conductor of the Underground Railroad, and Lydia Laws, the first female instructor in the early years of the State College for Colored Students. They were two of the oldest residential facilities on campus and would have needed more than $15 million in repairs.

The added housing space makes it possible for 2,900 out of 5,054 Delaware State students to live on campus.

Residents have access to a cafe, game room, study lounges, laundry facilities and an on-site Dunkin’ Donuts.

 “You have everything in the new residential hall,” said Usman Tijani, senior and president of the Student Government Association. “You can eat there, study there, chill there, wash your clothes. You really don’t have to leave the building, except to go to class.”