Posted on August 27, 2015
New Year at CCU Begins with Opening of Yetter Hall
Colorado Christian University's 2015-16 school year formally kicked off Monday amid its campus redevelopment campaign, and 300 students benefited from the newest addition to campus. Yetter Hall, the new residence hall, offers 103,000 square feet of apartment-style living with beds for 300 students.
"We're thrilled to open this new residence hall," said Jim McCormick. "It will be a place of life change for innumerable students throughout the years, as they live in community and grow closer to Christ. Naming it after a former president, Archie Yetter, was a natural choice when you consider the life he led and the care he had for students."
Yetter was president of Rockmont College, a legacy institution of CCU, in the 1950s and '60s. During times of low enrollment, he helped keep the college afloat by changing the location and even hosting the dining hall in his basement at one point.
At a dedication for the building on August 19, Dr. Janet Black, who has written extensively on CCU's history, told of how Yetter would stay up late into the night praying for every student with his wife during his presidency.
Additionally, at the dedication, Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy spoke about the importance of the school to the larger Lakewood community, and how the leadership of the city worked to rezone CCU's property when it became clear that the university wanted to redevelop its campus.
The hall was officially opened following the dedicatory ceremony. Students began moving in immediately, with vans stretching around the parking lot. Students will live in "pods" of apartments - four apartments of six people each, totaling 24 students per pod. Shared lobby space for each pod will encourage community, and a resident assistant for each pod means that CCU has one of the lowest student/RA ratios in higher education at 24 to one.
Each apartment also comes with a full kitchen, fully furnished living room, and washer and dryer.
"We wanted to be intentional about continuing our apartment-style living," noted McCormick. "And we want students to feel at home, not stuck in a sterile dorm room. It's another step we take to encourage community and connection."
For more on CCU's campus redevelopment project, please visit www.ccu.edu/campaign.