SALEM -- A groundbreaking ceremony took place Monday for construction of a $38 million, 458-student dormitory at Central Campus. The new dorms are scheduled to open in September 2004.

According to college president Nancy D. Harrington, this new campus will help link the college's three campuses -- Main, South and Central -- into one.

The new dorm will be situated on the 37-acre old light bulb plant on the edge of the Forest River salt marsh.

The dorms will have six-person suites with kitchens, a lounge with fitness equipment and pool tables, study areas and a seminar room.

This project represents a 50-percent increase in dorm rooms and means that 1,400 of the college's estimated 6,000 undergraduates will live on campus.