If bright colors induce happiness, Willard Residential College residents have another reason to smile this year.
Over the summer, Facilities Management’s coordinated renovation of several on-campus facilities, including the 65-year-old dorm. And though most Willard residents liked the improvements, changes to other South Campus dorms done to accommodate handicapped students frustrated some residents.
With the renovations,Willard’s former dank, dark hallways now glow thanks to new light fixtures, light-colored walls and new carpeting.
“It’s much, much brighter,” said Willard’s president Kevin Kearney, a Communication sophomore. “People have remarked that they feel happier and more excited when they come through just because of the color change.”
More renovations in the up-to-$4 million project million included electrical rewiring and other internal work, the installation of new sprinkler and fire alarm systems and bathroom refurnishing. In Willard’s 18 washrooms, 56 new toilets with automatic flushers and 56 new showers were installed, said Daniel Hohmeier, a project manager for facilities management.
Kearney laughed when asked if he thought other students envied Willard residents for their updated bathrooms.
“They should,” he said. “On the same token, we had really, really crappy showers in the past years, so it’s due.”
But Willard wasn’t the only building to receive sprinklers this summer. Systems also were installed in Communications Residential College and Jones Residential College, part of the university’s plan to furnish all housing buildings with sprinklers within the next few years.
Other renovations to Willard also made the building more accessible for students with disabilities. Two showers on the first floor comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and an indoor ramp lets students with disabilities use the basement, where the dorm’s lounge is located.
Similar ramps also were installed in South Mid-Quads Hall, North Mid-Quads Hall and the Public Affairs Residential College.
But Associated Student Government Secretary Matt Hall, author of last year’s accessibility bill, expressed disappointment with the ramps.
In his bill, which ASG passed last spring, Hall called on the university to allocate more funds to improve accessibility for students with disabilities. But Hall deemed the ramp installation a step in the wrong direction.
“All I wanted was an automatic button (to open the doors),” he said. “They put in these enormous ramps that take up half the room. I don’t know why it was handled so poorly, but this is not what we asked for.
“Ironically, the automatic door opener in PARC was installed and still doesn’t work.” he said.
Tentative plans to make the Kappa Delta sorority house completely accessible for students with disabilities this summer resulted in a new ramp in front of the house, but more work is needed indoors. The eventual changes will accommodate Amy Burger, an Education sophomore and Kappa Delta member who uses a motorized wheelchair.
Andre Goodrich, the coordinator for greek facilities, said Kappa Delta’s refurnishing process is still in the “planning stages.”
“It’s a longer process than anybody really realized,” he said. “We’re looking at the best way to make it happen, and throwing something up slap-dash wasn’t deemed to be the best course.”
