The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts unveiled its new dorms. Berkshire County reporter Madeleine Rivera has more on these new spaces that feel more like living at home than at a college.

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- "The potential for connection has increased so much. You feel that when you walk in there," said Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts student Juwanni Cottle.

For students at the MCLA, living away from home got a little more comfortable.

"The way we get brought together because of the new area makes it feel more homey, like I made friends easy just by looking around, watching movies with people," said Kyla Graves, a freshman at the school.

The college unveiled new dorms its new dorms in Hoosac Hall.

"We wanted to increase residential space on campus. With the growth of student enrollment, we needed more room for students to be able to live on campus. Two, one of the things we work on in MCLA as part of our mission is to create a living, learning community," said MCLA President Mary Grant.

President Grant says the dorm has more communal spaces, allowing for more interaction between students.

"A kitchen space for residents to cook meals together, office space for residential staff, study space where students can gather," she described.

The project started during the summer of 2011. The total cost of it was about $7.5 million. It was paid for by the school's Resident's Hall Trust Fund, a collection of money from student tuition.

"I think that if you increase the cost for students, they should see something as a result of it," said Grant.

"I think that I've had the ability to leave something behind and been inspired by my surroundings. With everything changing and becoming just a little bit better, I think it's just going to push everything further," said Cottle, who is a senior at the college.

The Hoosac Hall renovation is just of one of the many construction projects of the school. It's also currently building a new science center.