Missouri Western shuts down two residence halls not meeting safety codes  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Missouri Western State University is shutting down two dorms on campus after they were found to be out of compliance with safety codes. 

The university said Beshears and Juda Hall will no longer be used, citing student safety as the main reason behind the decision. 

“Both facilities need to have fairly significant renovations done, primarily on the life safety aspect, fire alarms, the wiring in it,” said Daniel Holt, the vice president for finance and administration at MoWest.  

Holt said the university had estimated about $2.8 million in repairs for the two dorms, but given their age and the fact there’s already enough housing available on campus, officials decided it made more sense to close them instead.  

Senior student Tyra Saddler said she’s disappointed to see them go but hopes the university considers building something new in their place.  

“I think another hall with a kitchen would be nice because they offer only one dorm here with a kitchen, so it would be great to have another one,” Tyra Saddler said.  

Holt admits the halls were popular among students since they offered a slightly different style of living, but says the transition has been smooth overall.  

“They were popular with our students and that was the difficult part about it because they offer a little bit different housing lifestyle,” Holt said.  

The university hasn’t run into issues with housing students elsewhere, but MoWest said plans for a replacement building haven’t been decided yet.  

MoWest expects to start looking at options once the dorms are officially offline.