Tel Aviv University plans new Student City

International students will soon be able to seek refuge in Tel Aviv University's new residential complex.

By DANIELLE SINGER
Tel Aviv University 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Tel Aviv University 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
International students will soon be able to seek refuge in Tel Aviv University's Student City, a new residential complex that will hopefully increase the number of international students coming to the university. The university has limited housing facilities, and because the Tel Aviv residential market is higher than the average student can afford, many students have nowhere to live. This affects international students' decisions to attend TAU. According to TAU President Prof. Zvi Galil, the Student City will provide students with an inexpensive place to live. "The establishment of the Student City will provide solutions for students in need of accommodations whose economic situation prevents them from obtaining lodgings at the current high market prices," he said. "They will also provide an answer to limited offers from the residential market throughout Tel Aviv." Currently there are only 860 students living in the TAU residences. With the future Student City, there will be an additional 2,300 spaces available. Besides the lack of accommodations, students say, the university's current residences are old and unkempt, making for uncomfortable living situations. Yael Nov, a 19-year-old exchange student from Toronto attending the university this year, said the school was in desperate need of new residences. "The school's accommodations were old and dirty," she said. "They were not nice to live in." Nov said the campus was also in need of a more vibrant student life. "There was never a lot going on at campus because there were not a lot of buildings or clubs where students hung out," she said. "We had to go to the center of Tel Aviv to go out." In addition to residential facilities, Student City will also consist of clubs and commercial buildings where students can hang out. The city, designed by architect Ilan L., will be placed on the border of the TAU campus and will take about four years to build and cost an estimated NIS 100 million. On Monday, there will be a cornerstone-laying ceremony and a reception in honor of the many donors who have helped fund the project. The development's first building will be named after Chella and Moise Shafra, philanthropists from Brazil, who have made a generous donation to Student City.