Editor’s note: This is the third in a five-part series on the Department of Residence’s Master Plan. The plan, which spans across several years, will renovate and rebuild several of the ISU residence halls. The third area the Daily is profiling is the Union Drive Association.

To accommodate students’ requests for more living space, Department of Residence officials plan to tear down several buildings and renovate others in the Union Drive Association.

Director of Residence Randy Alexander said department officials want to give students more options when they’re considering where to live. Alexander said the UDA buildings are out-of-date, and their renovations will be financed by room and board fees.

“Because our facilities have deferred maintenance, the configurations of the buildings aren’t acceptable to today’s standards,” Alexander said.

The department is going to tear down Helser Hall and the north end of Friley Hall. New buildings with suites will be built. The suites will have two rooms connected to a personal bathroom. The rest of Friley Hall will be renovated.

The administration has been meeting with many different people to assure that the students get what they want, Associate Director of Residence Virginia Arthur said.

“We’re in the process of planning three suite buildings, and we’ve been consulting with the UDA government, students and staff,” Arthur said.

Alexander said department officials have not pinpointed the exact date when construction will start but said they would know by the end of March when the northern part of Helser will come down.

“It’s a several-step process,” Alexander said. “It’s going to happen over several years.”

The Master Plan for UDA will include the destruction of first the northern and then the southern part of Helser. It will be replaced by suite-style residence halls.

Next, the Friley Dining Center will be replaced, and then Friley’s infrastructure will be renovated.

UDA leaders said the Master Plan will be beneficial to the students because of suite-style living and the updating of many areas. North Helser Hall Director Jorg Vianden said the remodeling will create a more modern atmosphere.

“Our students have told us what they want,” Vianden said. “We want to provide a better service to them.”

Vianden also said once students see the improvements that have been made, they will know their room and board payments have made a positive difference.

“Students on this campus are trying to have their payments as low as possible,” Vianden said. “When you look at the age of the buildings, they see that it needs improvement.”

Molly Foster, resident assistant of Anthony House in Lower Friley Hall, said she believes students will approve of the alterations.

“I think change is always in the best interest of the students,” said Foster, senior in biochemistry. “There are some good things about the plan, and it will only take a matter of time to adjust.”

Aaron Ripple, RA of Carpenter House in North Helser Hall, was pleased with the concept of suite-style living.

“I liked the idea that they’re finding a medium between dorm-style and apartment living because it’s hard to find an apartment in the Ames area,” said Ripple, sophomore in construction engineering.

However, he said some of the money could be spent differently.

“They spend all of this money on high-tech stuff, like pressurized stairwells [in Maple Hall], but I think they could put the money towards other uses, like bigger rooms,” Ripple said.

Some UDA residents liked the idea of suites because it would give them more space and privacy. Tim Knipper, freshman in computer engineering, said he would prefer the suites.

“I think [suite-style living] would be all right. It would be better than just one room,” said Knipper, resident of Chamberlain House in Friley Hall. “The personal bathrooms would be nice, too.”