New dorm Adams Hall makes the grade
By Samantha Pirc, Campus Life writer
September 25, 2007 | 11:51 p.m.
Just to clear up all the rumors, all of the amazing descriptions that are floating around about Adams Hall, the new dormitory on South Green, are probably true.
Despite some last-minute testing and cleaning that left Adams’ residents unable to move in until Sept. 2 at 9 a.m., the dorm has been up and fully functioning for the past three weeks. Many students were worried about the rushed construction causing major problems, but so far, everything has worked properly. Andrea Manning, resident director of Adams Hall, said that minor elevator mishaps and some problems with Bobcat Cash in the laundry facilities are some of the trivial problems that have plagued the new building.
Much to the dismay of many residents, the entire building was initially without cable, but the problem was fixed two days after move-in day. “It was built too fast,” said one fourth-floor resident, who complained that the fourth floor didn’t seem as nice as the rest. “We still have holes in the walls.”
Sophomore Cassie Palisky of the second floor enjoys the new dorm, but her room has had plumbing problems since the beginning of the year. She and her suitemates hope that it will be fixed soon. Problems like these are all to be expected, though, when opening a new dorm at such a quick pace, Manning said. She commented that things like that are just the finishing touches.
Other residents are also having trouble with the building, though not in the same way. “I’m scared to mess things up,” said Pat Murtagh, a sophomore who lives on the second floor. Murtagh’s friend Mike Darah, a first-floor sophomore, also agreed that his biggest problem with the dorm is that he is afraid to break something. “Otherwise, it’s awesome,” Darah said.
Manning said that Adams does live up to all the hype surrounding it. “Lots of thought and dedication have gone into it,” Manning said. “It deserves the credit.” One of the high-tech security features in Adams is the swipe-card entry. Only residents who live in the building can use their cards to get into the main lobby, stairwells and laundry room. While this system makes most residents feel safer, one male commented that having to use swipe cards makes the building feel like a prison.
After getting past the grandeur of the new dorm, Adams Hall is only a dorm. The walls in the rooms are white cinderblock, and the beds are still just extra-long twins. Rooms are also equipped with built-in closets and shelves made of a nice, clean, light wood. Each double has its own sink and mirror and is connected to another double with a bathroom. The entire building also has central air, and each double has its own thermostat.
While these features make Adams seem like any other old dorm on campus, a second glance determines that it is nothing like any of the other buildings. “It’s new,” said Jessica Powell, a second-floor resident. Powell said she liked the dorm because compared to where she lived last year, “it’s not as shitty.” Many other residents echoed this sentiment, saying that compared with the older buildings on East and West, Adams seems almost like a hotel.
Manning agrees, saying that she loves her accommodations. The senior staff has its own bathroom and kitchen unit that are situated away from the rest of the students. "I feel like I have my own wing," Manning said.
With such good reviews from its residents and staff, it looks like Adams Hall soon may be the place to live for sophomores and upperclassmen.