Students and community members were invited to the New Residence Hall Complex Wednesday for a grand opening event, where visitors could get tours from community advisers.

Lindsey Myers, assistant director of marketing and publications for Housing and Dining, said the grand opening event was to open up the residence hall to the DeKalb community. Wednesday was NIU’s blackout football game versus Toledo, so Myers said a lot of people found the grand opening a good opportunity to see the hall because they were in the area for the game.

“The community can see what today’s student lives like,” Myers said. “A lot of them haven’t been on campus in several years.”

Myers said one thing that has changed about the way students live is this year’s introduction of proximity card access. Students this year have a computer chip in their OneCards, and this chip allows access to only particular living areas based on where the student lives.

DeKalb resident Cyndy Baumgart came with her husband to the grand opening event.

“We’ve been watching this building being built since we live so close,” she said. “We wanted to see the inside.”

Students were also impressed with the new dorm. Kurt Anderson, senior economics major, has an apartment but came to see the New Residence Hall because his friend lives there.

“It’s like a hotel with all the clusters and their nice 3-D TV’s in the lounge,” he said. “And the food here is amazing.”

The new hall is divided into clusters, said Sam Rossi, community adviser and junior visual communications major. In each cluster, there is a lounge with a seating area and a 55-inch 3-D TV on the wall, a kitchenette and a laundry room with a washer and dryer that students can pay for with Huskie Bucks.

In each cluster, there are six suites. Each suite has two separate bedrooms, two vanity mirror areas and one toilet and shower. Rossi said each community adviser works in two clusters, and their bedrooms have a door to each lounge.

Myers said there are certain things students like about the new rooms.

“The floor plan in general, having single rooms and a semi-private bathroom, is very popular,” she said.

Myers said she expects the new hall to remain popular.

“We expect a lot of students living here this year will choose to live here again next year,” she said. “A lot of freshmen at open houses have asked about this building, it’s pretty well-known.”

Myers said all returning students get first priority.

Rossi was one community adviser giving tours. He said the cafeteria is very popular, and students like that there is a large variety of food every day. There are many different stations of food, and Rossi said some things change every day, like the menu at the Chinese station, but some things stay the same, like the grill.

Rossi said the new hall’s cafeteria is popular to all students, not just new hall residents. He said since Grant and Lincoln students don’t have a dining hall in their building anymore, many of those students come to eat in the new hall.

Rossi said life at the new hall is improving, as cellphone service is improving.

“AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are aware the reception is bad here,” he said. “They have addressed the problem and are working to fix it.”

Another thing Rossi likes about the new hall is the location.

“Parking is so convenient, we have three big lots right here,” he said. “Last year in Neptune I had to get a reserved parking spot to be close to my dorm.”