With the opening of Black-Diallo-Miller Hall, the University of Georgia honored the first African-American students to complete their undergraduate degrees at the university. Built specifically for first-year students, this hall is named after Harold A. Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo, and Kerry Rushin Miller. The hall’s opening in August of 2022 marked the 60th anniversary of their enrolling as freshmen. At the dedication ceremony, university President Jere W. Morehead noted that they came to the institution at a time when students of color faced challenges in attending, but they persevered and attained their degrees. “The naming of this building is our way of ensuring that their stories are now forever a part of our institution’s history.”
Black-Diallo-Miller Hall offers 525 beds to first-year students in a double-room style with community bathrooms. There are also five ADA-accessible double rooms with ensuite bathrooms. When students walk into this six-story building, they are met with large common spaces such as a spacious lobby that is complemented with lounges and a café-style kitchen. There are also large lounges on each floor as well as nooks at the end of each hallway, which were specifically requested by students in focus groups. Each floor also has single-person phone rooms, which were included in the hall’s design because they were so well received after the renovations of two other halls on campus.
While this hall provides space for its growing first-year class, it also helps the university provide more apartment space for sophomores, juniors, and seniors on campus. And in addition, the hall provides the university with a template for incorporating student feedback into a hall design that highlights engaging student spaces. Linda Kasper, executive director for university housing, said, “Student engagement in Black-Diallo-Miller Hall has been very strong. Students can be seen using the variety of lounge and community spaces to build connections and study. As we are now in design phase for our next new project, we are using this residence hall as our guide.”
— Camille Perlman