Take a Deep Dive Inside CGCC's new Dorms

Student Gabe Eldredge at CGCC Chinook Residence Hall. He has a nice bird’s eye view.

By Ryan Lawrence

If you have not had the chance to check out the new dormitory at The Dalles Columbia Gorge Community College, you should. 

It’s pretty cool. 

And better yet, there is still room available at Chinook Residence Hall and the College is offering some discounts right now. 

Here’s my take on what I found when I decided to take a little tour on Thursday, October, 14th. 

 Upon entering the new facilities, I was greeted with a building’s equivalent to a new car smell. It was crisp, fresh, and made me want to wipe my feet at the door. All the suites come with a minifridge and a microwave to make your own little kitchenette, and there is a shared kitchen and dining room on the NW corner of the ground floor. The dining room has a very welcoming vibe to it and faces the pottery and ceramics lab. My favorite part of this view is the big brick smokestack, which can be seen from the entire north side of the building. 

Tiffany Prince and Ryan Lawrence hanging in the student lounge on the NW corner of the second floor.

Just above, either up the stairs is a nice lounge and study area. The lounge has an open floor and corner windows. The study area, while maybe not completely soundproof, has a sliding door and its own climate control. It seems every room I went in had a Trane heater and air conditioner with a Mitsubishi Electric thermostat on the wall. This was true even in the individual rooms of dorms. For me personally, it is a big deal to be able to control my own environment. I really like the idea of my roommate in the next room being able to operate independently of me. I am sure we can all agree that thermostat battles are the number one cause of roommate squabbles. 

This brings me to the actual student suites themselves. I absolutely love the layout and design, and I can tell quite a bit of thought went into the planning. Each suite has two separate bedrooms that share a full bathroom and living space. It all feels really personal and close-knit, with the option of privacy and key card doors. The bedrooms themselves are interchangeable and depending which plan you pick determines how many roommates you will be sharing with. But with the space available right now, I would say you would have the suite to yourself for a little while at least. 

Looking South back at the dormitory.

This is true for student Gabe Eldredge, who was kind enough to show me his corner room with the views! Gabe was the first student to move into the new Chinook Residence Hall and when talking to him you can really hear the pride he takes in that fact. He told me how thankful he was for the on-campus food pantry, laundry facilities down the hall, and the all-around hospitality he has been shown since moving here. I think it is safe to say he will be keeping a watchful eye over these new halls. 

Now let me share with you a little insider information. The prices for the suites will be up for review sometime in the next year. Right now CGCC is offering an inaugural year discount. This is a significant discount that will allow you to be grandfathered in at that rate for your entire time at CGCC! In my opinion, this is a huge deal because it locks that discounted rate in for as many terms as you need. This includes your meal plan too, folks. These are meals prepared in CGCC’s Hook Cafe’ and always a treat for me personally. 

Information and specific prices can be found at cgcc.edu/housing. Even if you are a little curious about it for yourself or someone else, I urge you to reach out to the college for more information. There is plenty of space available and currently at a limited-time rate. I would love to see these suites filled with smiling students and registration numbers up even higher than they are now. We have some awesome new programs in our brand new Regional Skills Center that I plan to write about next. Thank you so much for reading!