Giving residents the authentic college experience, the dormitory contains co-ed living arrangements and hall-style bathrooms.
Sophomore marketing and economics major Renee Losapio said her freshman experience made her want to come back to West AJ as a resident advisor.
“I got really involved with Residence Hall Federation, and I was able to connect with a lot of staff in West AJ so it really made me want to return to the building the year after,” Losapio said.
Losapio has hosted a number of events for her hall, including a “Home Sweet Home” night where she cooked dinner for her residents and encouraged them to write letters to their families back home.
She said that everyone she has met in West AJ so far seems extremely supportive academically and socially.
Situated across from West End Market and Dietrick Dining Hall, the dormitory acts as a centralized location for dining on-campus dining choices.
“West End is my favorite, and all I have to do is walk a hundred feet.” said Jessi Lane Braswell, a freshman university studies major.
Losapio agrees that its location not only makes it easy to access the dining halls, but also the gym in McComas Hall.
Braswell also finds West AJ’s location on Washington Street extremely convenient for game days, as well as for visiting friends.
However, not all residents are pleased with every aspect of West AJ.
“It’s far from classes, the construction is loud and mostly freshmen live here,” said AdamFishel, sophomore mechanical engineering major.
A resident in West AJ last year, Ali Snead, a sophomore hospitality and tourism management major, said that the dorms were very uncomfortable during the warm weather months without air conditioning.
Brantley McCarty, a sophomore biology major, also mentioned the drawbacks of living in West AJ.
“I lived in West AJ last year, and although I had many fun times there and met a lot of friends, I found the rooms to be very small and cramped for all my belongings,” McCarty said.
West AJ houses 895 residents, including the participants in the university’s Wellness Peer Education Program.
It features a fitness room and three separate crossover lounges, which connect the building to East AJ.
West AJ is 272,019 square feet, making it one of the largest residence halls on campus.
Built in 1967, the building is currently 42 years old.