By Aaron Heller
No more living in the Admissions House or piling into dorm communal area.
After an extended wait, Memorial Hall is finally open.
The 125 residents were able to move into their newly renovated dorm building Saturday, Jan. 20, a semester later than expected. Students wasted no time cleaning out their temporary rooms and lugging all their belongings into Memorial Hall.
Easton Kite, a first-year student moving from Coblentz Hall to Memorial, was ecstatic about the transition. “Being able to live in a nicer, more modern building, was definitely something I was looking forward to,” Kite said.
Along with his roommate, Kite rearranged the room into his ideal living condition. “Despite the room itself feeling a lot smaller than my previous room, we were able to have the perfect setup that suits both of us,” Kite said.
Work on the project began in the fall of 2022. The renovations included the addition of a new elevator and converting rooms into suites. Memorial is equipped with a full-size functional kitchen, numerous study areas and countless hangout spots. The four-floor dorm is available for all classes to spend quality time with one another.
Harrison Ludington, a first-year student, really enjoys getting to know everyone who walks through the hallways.
“Unlike my old dorm, Memorial allows me to not only engage with the people on my floor, but also the neighboring floors,” Ludington said.
The delay allowed Memorial to be equipped with top-of-the-line appliances and a proper elevator positioning. A highlight for students moving in is the communal bathrooms. Karron Mallory, a first-year student likes the newly renovated bathrooms.
“The showers and bathrooms are a huge highlight of the dorm. The old and dirty bathroom that I had to use in the first semester is something I never want to experience again,” Mallory said.
Still, the lack of parking near Memorial Hall presents an issue. Students are forced to walk across campus because all the surrounding area’s parking spaces are already taken.
“The lack of parking in Memorial is definitely frustrating and inconvenient and many times I park behind Smith Hall,” first-year Piper Wright said.
First-year student Emma Hutchens added, “My first surprise when moving in was the minimal parking and I thought to myself, this is it?”
Memorial is the first of five residence halls on campus to be renovated. The next buildings due for renovation are Meyran, Smith, Coblentz, and Shriner.
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