As classes begin today at the University of Nevada, Reno, about 1,300 students displaced from two campus residence halls are living in a hotel that the university has leased for this year.
KRNV-TV reports that a tower of the Circus Circus hotel in Reno—about five blocks south of the university campus—has been redubbed Wolf Pack Tower and is housing students who were supposed to be living in Argenta and Nye residence halls. Those buildings were damaged and became uninhabitable after a July 5 natural gas explosion caused by a boiler malfunction.
Moving quickly to find alternative housing, the university signed a lease with Eldorado Resorts Inc. through May 16, 2020, for more than $21.6 million. Depending on the timeline for the repair of Argenta Hall, the university has an option to extend the deal with Eldorado Resorts for an additional year.
“Our plan is to seamlessly integrate Wolf Pack Tower into the university’s housing experience,” says Marc Johnson, university president. “We are extremely fortunate to have a nearby property manager who understands what the needs of our program are and who has agreed to work with us on transitioning their property into a space university students will thrive in.”
Students will have separate, non-casino entrances and exits to the building. Entrances and exits will be staffed by university employees, and a key-card system will be used for entry into the building. An upgraded bus transit system will be available for Wolf Pack Tower residents.
Single rooms will be furnished with a king bed, and double rooms will have two queen-sized mattresses, the university says. All rooms have a large-screen TV, mini-refrigerator, private bathroom, desks and dresser and a monthly cleaning service.
One incoming freshman, Morgan Bobbera, says she's thrilled about the new accommodations at the hotel.
"Obviously everything that happened with Argenta was very sad and devastating, but the school definitely made sure to take care of us, and I'm very happy about that," Bobbera says. "I couldn't be happier to live here."
