Students living in Phelps, Irby and Paterson Residence Halls will not move into Lake and River Halls over winter break as originally planned, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Norton announced to those students over email before Thanksgiving break.  

Instead, students living in the three residence halls will remain there for the duration of the school year. 

“Due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida, supply chain issues and labor challenges, we are unable at this time to provide the high-quality residential student experience we had planned for you,” Norton said. 

Tulane University originally planned to transition students into the new residence halls over winter break as part of the first phase of a housing redevelopment project. 

Norton said the school expects some of the public spaces in Lake and River to open in the spring semester but did not specify which ones. Plans for the new dorms include gaming rooms, lounges and a 200-person seat theater. The dorms will also feature two new dining options: a convenience store called EAT NOW and a Shake Smart restaurant. 

The dorms are part of a two-phase process that ultimately aims to hold 1,200 more beds and increase the number of upperclassmen who can reside on campus. 

Lake and River now expect to first house students next August.