Charleston Southern opens new dorm, student health clinic

Charleston Southern University held two ribbon cutting ceremonies on Aug. 17 to celebrate the newest residence hall and a new student health clinic on campus.

A ceremony outside of Magnolia Hall officially opened the 52,000-square-foot, three-story suite-style dorm with housing for 216 students.

“Today is a day of celebration for Charleston Southern University,” President B. Keith Faulkner told a crowd of about 150. “Every room, every gathering space, and every detail of Magnolia Hall was designed with our students in mind — and most importantly, by listening to what our students told us they wanted from their residential experience.”

Housing demand has increased year over year at CSU, with the university using the former on-campus Wingate Hotel for overflow housing the last four years, according to a news release. This year, the university has taken on the hotel as a fully functioning residence hall — now named Palmetto Hall — adding two major residential location options for incoming and current CSU students.

“As our university continues to grow, we remain committed to providing an exceptional student experience rooted in academic excellence and a Christian environment,” Faulkner said in the release. “Facilities like Magnolia Hall help us recruit outstanding students, strengthen our campus community, and create an environment where young men and women can flourish academically, spiritually and personally.”

Liya Besintu, a senior computer science major, addressed the crowd with a message of thanks. “As students, we are incredibly grateful. This is so much more than just a new building,” Besintu said in the release. “It is a new space for students to live, connect, build friendships and create memories that we will carry with us long after we graduate.”

Magnolia offers an expansive laundry facility, a grab-and-go retail location called The Galley at Magnolia, a fitness center, community rooms, large community kitchen and study spaces. Central to the Mead and Magnolia Halls is a shared courtyard with a reflecting pool, swings, picnic tables and fire pits for students to enjoy between and after classes.

As a student who has served CSU in various capacities, Besintu said this building is a momentous step toward the larger master plan for campus: “This is only the beginning; from the new health clinic to the bell tower, to the renovations of several things on campus, we are blessed to witness that vision become a reality and even contribute to it in our own way.”

Later that day another ceremony was held that included Trident Construction and Roper St. Francis staff and clinicians, who opened the new health clinic for students.

The clinic is 2,000 square feet, with a waiting room and lobby, four exam rooms, a nursing station, restrooms and office space. Located in the Student Center beside Lightsey Chapel, the clinic will open to students, Aug. 25 with hours scheduled Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Students will have unlimited visits covered by their student health fee, according to the release.

Dr. Robert Oliverio, vice president and chief medical officer of physician channel and population health at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, said there are certain populations like college students who have barriers to care — whether that’s having to leave campus or not knowing where to go.

“That is the point of being here, to bring care to the patients and the students so that they feel comfortable, and they feel well cared for,” he said. “I want them to feel empowered and confident that they are going to get the best healthcare in the Lowcountry right on campus as opposed to having to navigate a really complex healthcare system.”

Providers from Roper St. Francis Healthcare will treat common illnesses and minor injuries at the CSU location.

CSU will welcome residential students back to campus during its move-in days on Aug. 20 and 22.