Gianna Hayes
News Editor
Since the Douglass Hall renovation began in late Sept. 2023, the College has been shuffling students around to accommodate student needs and practicality. In a Sept. 15, 2023 Voice article, President Anne McCall was quoted as saying, “I believe in students living in good looking and highly functioning spaces.”
Numerous changes have since been implemented — notably, the decision to house around 60 first-year students in Holden Hall. Due to lower enrollment rates, the almost 400 first-year students were able to be placed in Bornhuetter, Compton and Andrews Halls, but others had to be located in Holden due to lack of housing in traditionally first year dormitories. In a July 24 email from McCall, this offered a “rare opportunity” to take Wagner Hall offline for first-year housing.
Wagner’s vacancy “will create savings for the College on utilities and custodial expenses while making it easier for crews to complete roof work, install a new gas boiler, and renovate the kitchen on the ground floor,” McCall said. The Office of Residence Life expects Wagner to be available for first-year housing for the 2024-25 academic year. McCall and the Office of Residential Life also made the decision to shut down Weber House before the 2023-24 academic year started.
Johnathon Reynolds, director of residence life, explained the plans for Douglass in correspondence with the Voice. Renovations have an expected completion date of July 25, 2025 and are reportedly running on schedule. Tentative plans were released last academic year, but “the project is progressing without many changes that were initially discussed,” said Reynolds.
However, Douglass will be fitted with air conditioning, a fully functioning elevator and two sensory/music rooms. The Black Student Association will also have their lounge area in Douglass. This room existed in Douglass prior to renovations and was a sticking point for some students when renovations were announced. Douglass is also intended to house students from all years; the first two floors will be used for first-year housing, and the third and fourth floors will be used for upperclassmen housing, with the fourth as suite-style housing.
Students may have noticed other updates to residence halls such as revamped showers in Bornhuetter and Luce Halls, new flooring in Compton Hall, and a renovated Holden kitchen. Small houses and apartments received new couches last spring, and Johnson House received air conditioning. Plans for replacing the beds in Bornhuetter are in the works.
Reynolds also mentioned upcoming plans for Gault Schoolhouse, which include possibly adding a gym. The space will feature free weights, ellipticals, treadmills and kettlebells specifically for residents of Schoolhouse. The gym will be built after the installation of a partition wall.
The Office of Residence Life has also transitioned their software to the platform eRezlife. “This system met many of the goals for our department regarding data keeping, communication and assessment,” Reynolds said. “It also provided flexibility for student forms and the user friendliness.” An overarching goal with this implementation is to simplify the housing selection process.
Reynolds also outlined new programs to support the campus and promote community building. One such program is the Adopt-A-Mentee opportunity. Starting this Friday, Sept. 13, this program focuses on connecting students through mentor/mentee opportunities. In October, the Office of Residence Life and the Office of Alumni and Student Engagement will collaborate for homecoming weekend. Along with other activities later in the semester and academic year, these will provide further opportunities for students to engage and interact with the campus community.
