Oberlin Gets Face-Lift: Old Dorms Refurbished

Oberlin College was recently granted a face-lift. Over the summer, Residential Life and Services spent $1.2 million to refurbish dorms and dining halls. The money, taken from the Collegeıs Capital Maintenance fund, went toward work on Barrows Hall, East Hall, Burton Hall, Dascomb Hall and Spanish House.

Some changes were simple. East Hall received new mattresses and had its window drapes replaced with blinds. Dascomb Hall was repainted and got new game tables. Spanish House received new furniture, carpeting and a new television.

The work put into Barrows Hall was more ambitious. The dormıs roof was replaced and lighting in the dormıs hallways was updated.

It is doubtful that the new roof on Barrows Hall will elicit the same response from students that the summer updating of Burton has already received.

Even first-year Burton resident Chesa Lichauco is aware of the changes that have been done to her hall, having learned from sophomore friends that the College ³made some repairs on the west side of the basement.²

Those repairs include a dividing wall built to form the new offices of The Grape newspaper, as well as the re-painting of Burton Hallıs interior and exterior. The sprawling corridor that once accomodated a television lounge and a floor for swing dancing is now a narrower, but cleaner passageway.

Director of Res Life, Kim LaFond, said, ³This side of campus ‹East and Langston ‹ got new smoking lounges,² acknowledging the previously filthy smoking lounges.

Assistant Director of Facilities for Res Life and Services Larry Gibson emphasized that the modifications done to dorms over the summer are ³not meant to solve all the problems² encountered by students living on campus. Rather, these repairs are part of an ongoing effort to maintain campus housing. As long as students stay in dorms, there will be new problems to tackle.

Returning students like Jessica Rossi, Resident Coordinator in Burton, are generally positive about the repairs, though they look forward to further improvements. While declaring that her dorm ³looks excellent,² Rossi admits a slight ³disappointment that they [Res Life] have yet to replace Burtonıs oven.²

Plans for repairs in the near future include new lounge furnishings for Burton and Dascomb. Capital Maintanance will be put to work on these areas, Gibson assures, ³as soon as possible.²

Asked about the future of renovations at Oberlin, Gibson says, ³Weıre headed in a good direction, and I only have optimism for the future.²