Set to open Aug. 9, the 376 beds in Troy University's new faith-based dormitories are all but full for the fall semester, university officials say.



But as popular as they are with religiously minded students, says Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr., they are even more popular with their parents.



"I think the students are excited, but I think even more so the parents are excited," Hawkins said. "They want their children to live in a safe place, in a place where academics are first and foremost, but values are also important."



At a cost of $11.8 million, the new dorms give preference to students who maintain an active spiritual lifestyle and are actively engaged in a campus faith-based organization.



The housing facility is the first of its kind at a public university in Alabama and one of only a few nationally, says Kelsey Burgan, director of the faith-based residence halls.



"This is a college dorm. This isn't a convent or a monastery," she said. "This is a place where people will have parties and will celebrate life's achievements."





The dorms feature a 2,300-square-foot Newman Center or Catholic Ministry leased by the Catholic archdiocese in Mobile. It also has a small chapel and an office for the local priest.

The housing facilities are open to students of all faiths, but

, said John Schmidt, senior vice chancellor for advancement and external relations.

However, a university spokesman said today that no preference will be given to Christians over any other religion.

Though Schmidt says students of non-Christian faiths will not be excluded, and that university officials are waiting to see what kind of demand there is from non-Christians.

"They can realize that they're not the only ones in their faith journey," Burgan said. "Whether it be your roommate is Hindu and you are Catholic, you're still going to have someone to talk to and to realize there's someone who is trying you help you as well."

Students who choose to live in the faith-based dorms must engage in a community-service or community-learning project at least semi-annually, must refrain from using illegal drugs or alcohol -- a rule that applies to all Troy dormitories -- and must maintain a minimum 2.5 grade point average.

Another requirement is that they remain "respectful of diversity."

University officials are hopeful the new dorms will attract students who would not otherwise consider a secular, public college and provide added value to their college experience.

"We know that a college education is not just for the classroom. It's here in the dorm room. It's in the cafeteria, in the gym and talking to one's peers."

The university decided to build the dorms after polling showed between 70 and 75 percent of the students ranked faith as important in their lives, Hawkins said.

The five-acre property is leased from the university by Troy's foundation, a private, non-profit entity, which paid for the two buildings that comprise the housing facility, using funds from a local bank.

That avoids legal conflicts between religion and the public dollars that Troy uses for operational expenses, Schmidt said, since Troy's foundational money is comprised of private donations, not tax dollars.

But the premise of faith-based housing on a public university campus has some raising concern.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation based in Madison, Wis., said they have received several complaints about the new dorms from Alabama residents.

The foundation is in the process of drafting a letter to the university and plans to investigate the financial arrangements between the university, its fundraising arm and the Mobile archdiocese.

"These are supposed to be public universities, where it doesn't matter what religion you are, and when you study religion, you're supposed to be doing so academically, not devotionally," she said. "You can go to the church for devotion."

Updated at 3:38 p.m. July 30, 2013 to add comments from Gaylor and clarification from university that no preference is made toward Christians over non-Christian students.