College plans Simpson update

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The nearly 50 years old Simpson Residence is currently home to 174 men, and with half a century of housing college students comes wear and tear.

As a result, the college plans to update Simpson this summer.

“For Simpson’s age, I think it’s a great dorm,” Simpson House Director Peggy Wilson said. “The housekeepers and maintenance do a great job.”

But even good upkeep begins to lose its effect when the dorm hasn’t been significantly updated since its construction in 1966, Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said.

On Feb. 6, the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees will be meeting to discuss the funding for the renovations.

“Some dorms are just getting to the point where we need to put some money into them,” Péwé said.

Péwé said the renovations could cost the college an estimated $2.5 million.

“We’ve got a lot of things going on, so we need to have good planning,” he said. “We’re putting it on the schedule now, so that if something happens we will be prepared.”

For the renovations, the college plans to replace plumbing, sinks, floors, lighting, windows and kick out panels, roof panels, and heating and cooling units, as well as applying a fresh coat of paint.

Péwé said a large portion of the budget would also be going toward mechanical and electrical updates.

The college also hopes to redo the lobby and study areas, add a public kitchen, and possibly add a porch, if the budget allows.

“I’m really excited if they do what they say they are going to do,” Wilson said.

Although freshman Chris Koenigsknecht said he wishes for bigger rooms and a better plumbing system, Simpson is less about the physical building than the atmosphere it possesses.

“I like living here a lot,” Koenigsknecht said. “Everyone is real close, and it’s easy to make friends.”

Wilson said she hopes that this renovation can make the dorm feel like a home away from home.

“I hope they will just brighten it up, give them their own kitchen, and tear up the old carpet,” Wilson said. “All those things would make it feel more like your home than your dorm.”

In addition to the renovation of Simpson, Hillsdale has made multiple additions and improvements to campus within the past year, including the building of the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center, a gym renovation in the Roche Sports Complex, and many developments in Hayden Park and the Slayton Arboretum.

“Hillsdale has done a lot of things very student-centered in the past 10 years that have been good for the college as a whole,” Péwé said.

Péwé said that many time colleges now have to focus on how attractive their campus is because they have lost their identity and forgotten their purpose as a college. But with Hillsdale, it’s not so much about the appearance but the quality education.

“Hillsdale ensures that you have a good environment and that you’re surrounded by good people,” he said. “There are so many other colleges that have lost it.”

But during the many updates and improvements, Péwé said he wants to make sure Hillsdale will still keep its mission at the heart of the college.

“The dorms need to help us achieve what we need to achieve socially, but our main focus is on teaching and academics,” Péwé said. “It’s what makes Hillsdale stand out.”