Construction for Catherine Cater Hall will soon begin after the groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 12, 2017.

Ryan Nostrum, director of Residence Life, was the host for the event and highlighted some characteristics about the new residence hall.

The space is intended for sophomore students who decide to live on campus. “It was born out of necessity … there have been hundreds of students on waitlists who we’ve had to turn away,” Nostrum said.

Catherine Cater Hall is going to have 440 beds designed for 2nd-year students. It will include living areas, study rooms and “spacious open lobbies with comfortable seating.”

The first floor will have two fire places, a living room, kitchen area, media room, game room, two conference spaces and the Residence Life office will also make the move to Cater Hall.

Nostrum then passed off the mic to Dean Bresciani who highlighted two reasons why this residence hall is named after former faculty member Catherine Cater; “One, education; students who stay on campus perform dramatically better on an academic level. Our sophomores are the most vulnerable when they live off campus and may loose academic focus. Keeping those sophomores on campus is related to our graduation success. Two, naming of the residence hall by faculty member Catherine Cater; it is the second building on campus to do so … Catherine, when you met her, you walked away feeling like a better human being.”

Tom Isern, a member of the history department, quoted Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou in his speech about a dream he once had about a butterfly, similar to how Cater had began her faculty lecture in 1982.

Catherine Cater, former faculty member and an North Dakota State legend, earned her bachelor’s degree at the institution where her father was professor and dean — Talladega College, a historically black, liberal arts college undergoing integration. She experienced both the “historical trauma and literary riches that resulted from competing myths about the lineage and the faith of southern society,” Isern stated.

Upon her death, she left a letter that was published in the Forum, which read, “I thank you for the diverse ways in which each of you has contributed to my happiness and well being.” This new residence hall hopes to provide happiness and well-being to its residents in her memory.