NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
New housing draws mix of students
SANBORN — After last weekend’s registration, the new 302- bed student housing facility at Niagara County Community College is 70 percent full with a vast majority of the residents coming from outside the county.
Vice President of Student Services Bassam Deeb told the NCCC board of trustees this week that 42 percent of the facility’s 213 residents hail from Erie County, while 4 percent come from out of state and another 4 percent are from outside the United States.
He said 33.5 percent of the residents come from other parts of New York State, while just 16.5 percent come from Niagara County.
Eighty-five percent of the residents are first-year students at NCCC, with male students at 51 percent and female students at 49 percent, he said.
“It’s a very different mix of students who were attracted here, different from what we expected,” he said.
He said NCCC is normally attended by 80 percent Niagara County residents, and 20 percent of its students come from Erie County and other locations.
“So it was a bit of a surprise to us that we drew so many students from other areas. That’s good because we want to draw from a wider range of areas to our college. Hopefully that will continue to be the case,” Deeb said.
He also said enough beds were taken to offset the costs for the facility.
The Student Housing Village Corp., which Deeb heads, will be able to pay off the monthly bond debt on the facility along with the utility bills. He said school officials had hoped to fill the new facility, but he added that’s “not realistic.” However, he said more students could still take up additional beds either this month or during the next semester.
“We actually projected 90 percent occupancy, but 70 percent is very good, and it will enable us to meet all our financial obligations,” Deeb said.
NCCC Athletic Director Lee Wallace said about 40 of the residents are athletes that expect to play sports at the college.
