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Mouallem student residence opens in Slave Lake
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Preparing for the ribbon cutting to open the new accommodations are: (back, left to right) Northern Lakes College president Rick Neidig, Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pearl Calahasen, Town of Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee, (front, from left) Northern Lakes College board president Trevor Gladue, Fay Mouallem, Melane Mouallem, Joe Mouallem and Joey Mouallem.
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Here is an outside shot of one of the dorms, with several of them forming a quadrangle.
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Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pearl Calahasen (left) and Melane Mouallem (second left) chat with other people on the tour, in the building’s living room.
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This is a view of the kitchen.
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Archie Pronger (right) shows a student bedroom to (from left) Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pearl Calahasen, Stevy Johnson, and (in doorway) Mary Short.
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(from left) Northern Lakes College Student Association president Chris Noskey, assisted by (centre) Tammy Riva and Victory Seatter, present a cheque for $19,500 towards the student dorms, to college president Rick Neidig and board chair Trevor Gladue.
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Student association president Chris Noskey (left) assist Fay Mouallem and Joe Mouallem in presenting a cheque for $100,000 to NLC president Rick Neidig and board chair Trevor Gladue.
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Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Joe Mouallem and his family wanted to give back to the community, and his efforts bore fruit on October 14 when the Northern Lakes College student housing officially opened.
The college’s board reciprocated, in honour of the family’s $100,000 donation, by naming the $4.2 million accommodations the Mouallem Student Residence.
Although there is still some work to be done before students move in around mid-November, one of the buildings was opened for people to tour.
“It’s single student occupancy in each bedroom,” explained NLC director of facilities Archie Pronger.
Each bedroom has built-in furniture, to save space, Pronger said, adding the flooring is of a high-durability linoleum.
Each of the 52 students who end up living in the dorms will pay $450 per month. The college is currently collecting names of students on a first-come, first-served basis, said Pronger.
“We’ve got 35 folks already interested,” he said, adding only approved students are allowed to apply for a space.
“Out-of-town students will be taken over Slave Lake students,” said Pronger.
Students can indicate preferences – for example, an all-female building – but the accommodations are co-ed, he said.
“The buildings are smoke free and alcohol free,” in keeping with college policy, said Pronger.
Some of the work, such as landscaping, will have to wait until spring, he said.
NLC president Rick Neidig said the dorms are a fulfillment of dreams.
“It was a long-term drive from Slave Lake to have student housing,” said Neidig.
The Town of Slave Lake was supportive in many ways, and the province gave $3.1 million, enabling the project to get off the ground, said Neidig.
Joe Mouallem’s son Joey said the family felt strongly about making their donation.
“The name Mouallem … happens to mean education, or knowledge,” said Joey.
He said his father told him that although, with a Grade 3 education, he achieved his dreams, education would have made it easier.
“That road would have been a lot smoother, with fewer potholes, and they would have arrived where they were going a lot sooner.”
Lesser Slave Lake MLA Pearl Calahasen said while she was campaigning, she heard from students that they couldn’t go to college because they didn’t have a place to stay, and the new residence gives them that option.
“Thank you, Joe, for having the dream and making it a reality,” Calahasen said to Joe Mouallem.
“(The residence is) a monument to the region, it’s a monument to the town, it’s a monument to the college,” said Denny Garratt, reeve of the M.D. of Lesser Slave Lake.
The scope of the project is also signficiant for the college, said Pronger.
“It’s the first new capital that Northern Lakes College has received in, I believe, 19 years.”
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