Bennett Tower
Bennett Tower is named in honor of Thomas Bennett, a former West Virginia University student who was posthumously awarded by Congress the Metal of Honor for his bravery during the Vietnam War. This area known affectionately as “Towers,” the ERC is a group of four connected residence halls: Bennett, Braxton, Brooke, and Lyon. Located on the Evansdale campus, the ERC is a short PRT ride from the downtown campus or Health Sciences Center, and is close to the Engineering buildings. The Student Recreation Center is right outside your door! Almost 1,800 male and female students live in this complex, which shares a central lobby and dining hall. The halls feature single, double, and triple rooms with community bathrooms.
All rooms are air-conditioned and carpeted, with laundry rooms, community bathrooms, and lounges on each floor. The complex includes tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts, a post office, craft center, campus bookstore, academic resource center with free tutoring, computer center, and classrooms, along with a sandwich and coffee shop. You are within walking distance of many classroom buildings, the Coliseum, Milan Puskar Stadium (home of Mountaineer Field), grocery stores and restaurants, and the Creative Arts Center.
Bennett Tower focuses closely on academics and community service through a connection to many of the diverse programs offered on the WVU campus. This is achieved based on the vision of Resident Faculty Leaders, Anna and Don Elfenbein and the Bennett tower staff. Residents will have the opportunity to work more closely with faculty to improve academics and will be provided educationally-rich, interactive programming that will enhance their learning experience within their majors. The Residence Hall Director, Elizabeth Paille, oversees the daily operations of the building and helps to carry out the hall programming with eighteen Resident Assistants (RAs) and one Wellness Coordinator to help the residents transition from High School to College.
A new program, Bennett Notables, which consists of upperclassmen students living on several different floors, is there to help the residents as academic mentors. These “Notables” create study sessions, help with class schedules, and direct the students to the best academic resources on campus. Other programs have included trips to New York City, Fallingwater, Cultural trips to Pittsburgh museums and theaters, ski trips to Wisp and Seven Springs, and such activities as white water rafting, baseball, soccer, and basketball games, backpacking and camping trips, musical performances, video game tournaments, and many more. Bennett Tower highly values the service component of community membership as staff and residents work with many volunteer organizations to connect into the greater Morgantown community through fundraisers, blood drives, community development, and support. To find out more information on any of these opportunities feel free to contact any of the staff below.
Contact information:
Bennett Main Desk:
Penny Demasi, Secretary
(304) 293-2813
Penny.Demasi@mail.wvu.edu
Resident Faculty Leaders:
Don and Anna Elfenbein
(304) 293-4372×11050
Anna.Elfenbein@mail.wvu.edu
Donald.Elfenbein@mail.wvu.edu
Residence Hall Director:
Liz Arnett
(304) 293-4372×11040
Liz.Arnett@mail.wvu.edu
To see what is currently going on in Bennett click here.
