In New Dorm, Ball State U. Students Can Order Takeout from the Dining Hall

At Ball State University, 504 students are moving into a new $36-million residence hall (left) with wheeled furniture that can be moved wherever students want it and a dining hall that accepts online orders for takeout.

According to the Post-Tribune, a newspaper in the Gary suburb of Merrillville, Ind., the new building has double rooms arranged in clusters of four, with each cluster sharing a bathroom. The building, Park Hall, also has walk-in closets, lounges, study rooms, kitchens with fireplaces, laundry facilities, a computer room, and a digital-music lab. It was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, of Chicago.

The university is also opening a $21-million communication-studies building (left) that it plans to name in honor of the late-night talk-show host David Letterman, a Ball State alumnus. The 75,000-square-foot building, designed to qualify for LEED certification, houses classrooms, studios, and faculty offices, according to a university news release.

Mr. Letterman and his mother — Dorothy Mengering, who makes frequent cameo appearances on his show — are expected to take part in the September 7 dedication ceremony.