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Packed dorms push TWU students to hotels

Texas Woman's University is growing and, depending on how you look at it, that could be a good or bad problem.

DENTON -- Texas Woman's University is growing and, depending on how you look at it, that could be a good or bad problem.

"There is a plan to accommodate the growing interest in TWU," said Monica Mendez-Grant, Vice President of Student Life at the university.

Currently, that plan involves four hotels in the city of Denton. Starting this fall, the nearby Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn and Springhill Suites will become a new home for some students.

Packed dorms push TWU students to hotels

All three of TWU's dormitories, and the apartment complexes the school uses for overflow, are filled to capacity.

The school's student body continues to increase with this year's undergraduate enrollment exceeding 10,000 students for the first time. At the same time, there is also a 10 percent increase in the number of students who want to live on campus.

The only option is to house 145 students in the hotels, possibly for an entire semester.

"We are committed to moving the students back into university housing," Mendez-Grant said. "Last year we were able to move those students after about 45 days."

But last year, the school only had around 40 students in that situation.

Either way, students News 8 talked to Friday weren't complaining.

"You get room service and all of that," said student Christopher Johnson.

"They clean your room for you," said student Kaira Edwards. "That's really awesome."

Students won't be charged more for hotel living. The university plans to absorb that cost. And there is a long-term plan to deal with the growth. TWU is in the planning phase of a new dormitory with 800 additional beds. But that won't open until 2019.

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