LORMAN,(AP) — Alcorn State University could start as early as this fall replacing decades-old dorms.

The state College Board recently approved the school looking at private financing options for new residence halls on the Lorman campus.

Getting new housing is a top priority for Alcorn State President George Ross, who began his tenure in January.

“We’re dealing with housing stock that’s 30, 40, 50 years old and frankly has not been maintained very well,” Ross said.

Ross envisions an aggressive building schedule with opening by August 2009. He’d like to replace old buildings and their leaky pipes, low water pressure and broken elevators with modern facilities like those popping up on some other state university campuses.

Rather than financing the new building with bonds and paying the debt off like a mortgage, the school could have a private company come in and build residence halls.

The advantage of private financing is the school could get new dorms without adding debt.

“We’re investigating a number of possibilities,” Ross said. “That’s not the only possibility. The driving force is looking for housing. How we finance it hasn’t been determined yet.”

It’s good news on a campus where students have complained about the quality of housing.

“In Robinson (Hall) the rooms were fine, but I hated the bathrooms. They were terrible,” said Jyllyan Echoles, a 22-year-old Alcorn senior who moved off campus after two years. “There was a lot of mold and rust … a lot of dirt hidden in corners.”

She said elevators often didn’t work in some buildings, forcing residents to walk as many as six flights of stairs.

In the state college system, housing departments generate their own revenue and meet their own expenses. And the price tag for new construction can vary.

Mississippi Valley State University shelled out $17 million for new dorms, the University of Mississippi is preparing to pay $46.5 million to erect a new residential college and Mississippi State University is expecting a $29 million price tag for its new residence hall. All three schools financed their projects with bonds.

Alcorn State opened an honors residence hall, its newest dorm, around 2000. It houses 150 students, leaving the rest of the campus residents in seven older buildings.

In the fall, Alcorn State enrolled 3,668 students. With room for 1,900, its dorms house 1,280. Students pay $2,440 a semester for room and board. The school hasn’t announced what fees would be if new housing is constructed.

Privately built dorms can free a school of the time and expense of drafting building plans and supervising construction, although schools typically decide on the appearance of the new dorm, said Joe Agron, editor of American School and University magazine.

According to the magazine’s research, last year about 17 percent of new residence halls were privately funded. Another 17 percent were funded with a combination of public and private dollars. About 19 percent of new dorms were privately financed in 2006, Agron said.

Sometimes, there are lease-purchase agreements where the private company builds and the school pays for the new dorm over 20 years. Students either pay rent to the school or directly to the private company.

Given rising expenses and a sliding economy, Agron said universities wanting to focus their fundraising on the academic side may look more to private companies for residence halls.

“It’s a big issue in recruiting because most universities and colleges are now trying to upgrade their living facilities on campus,” said Roy Hudson, interim president at Mississippi Valley State, where new dorms are under construction. “You have to step up if you want to stay in competition with that other university.”

New residence halls look more like hotel rooms, complete with bathrooms shared by only two students. University administrators are using the new residence halls as learning spaces, adding classrooms, computer labs and — in some cases — live-in mentors who will interact with the students academically.