Dormitories in the works for SDSU-IV Campus

Calexico city officials are working on a plan to bring dormitories to San Diego State University’s Imperial Valley Campus.

The university currently has no housing options for students.

It’s a project that would house up to 500 students in Calexico.

City planners say residential housing would bring an increase of students to the city, making Calexico a college town.

According to San Diego State University, the university’s main campus turns away 60,000 applicants each year.

City planners say SDSU-IV Campus can reel in some of those students turned away by the main campus.

“It would be something that would stimulate the city and the region as a whole,” said Ben Horton, Calexico economic commissioner.

“It would increase the students that are going to the university campus in Imperial Valley and it would also help increase the curriculum offered to the students,” said Horton.

Horton says an increase of students would eventually open doors for more majors on campus.

“It would bring more students and even more diversity, if there’s more majors offered then we don’t have to travel to san diego,” said psychology student, Raquel Bermejo.

Bermejo says residential housing would be beneficial to local students who live far away.

“I have to travel 45 minutes because I live in Calipat,” said Bermejo.

“We do live in a border and there are students that have to cross and make line because they don’t have a residence here or even the other north end in niland, bombay, and Calipat like myself,” said Bermejo.

The dormitory proposal has an estimated cost of $28 million dollars.

Money for the project would come from private funding.