The growth of Mississippi State’s student body has been exponential in recent years, and due to the increase in  size, MSU is searching for new possibilities to provide housing to graduate students.
Ruby and Critz halls are part of the solution. To combat lack of graduate student housing, both halls will be dedicating a single block of rooms to graduate students. 
Bill Kibler, vice president for student affairs at MSU, said he believes the 50 rooms being made available will help accommodate a small portion of the nearly 4,000 graduate students attending our university.
“We’ve never had enough housing for graduates on campus,” Kibler said. “We’ve built seven new residence halls, but we’ve taken five down. Next fall, State will increase the amount of bed spaces on campus for the first time in eight years.” 
While Kibler said he believes renovations have delayed the increase of accommodations on campus, Kibler stressed MSU’s efforts to improve the quality of student housing and its effect on the growth of student enrollment.
Ann Bailey, director of housing, said the university is also exploring demolition options for Aiken Village, a four-building complex dedicated to housing anyone receiving a masters or a Ph.D.  Aiken Village has been closed since last December. 
“The university plans to build new apartments for students, families and international students on the cleared site,” Bailey said. “The projected opening date for the new apartments is fall of 2014.”
While Aiken Village did accommodate families and married couples, the rooms opening in Ruby and Critz will be solely for single graduate or doctorate students.
Once the complex that replaces Aiken Village is complete, families and couples will be able to live on campus once again.
Bailey and Kibler said they both believe convenience and quality will bring graduates to campus housing, but Patricia Kambesis, Ph.D. student of earth and atmospheric science, said she feels it is all about the money.
“Living on campus would be really convenient,” she said. “I spend a lot of time on campus and that’s typical for graduate (students), so living close to campus in a reasonably priced place would be a great thing. When you’re a graduate student and a research assistant, rent money takes a big chunk of your income. I think it’s a matter of economics and convenience.”
The rooms allotted to graduates will be made available for nine months for the duration of the fall and spring semesters; however, the only housing available on campus during the summer or for students enrolled for Maymester will be Rice Hall.
Of the rooms available, Ruby will house seven males and seven females at premium prices, while Critz will have 18 bed spaces available for either sex.
Any student unable to apply for student housing due to family, spouse or monetary complications can find housing in Starkville using MSU’s off campus housing site atoffcampushousing.msstate.edu/.