The $3 million, 11-month renovation of the Dow Campbell A & B lecture hall concluded last month. The makeover looks great. This will be a great space for events, meals, and more.
Now Olds Residence deserves attention. Since its construction 61 years ago, the dorm that hundreds of freshmen women cycle through each year, has undergone no major renovations. Two minor ones happened in 2014 and 2020 — to expand the kitchen and add fans to a building that still lacks air conditioning. Many freshmen women choose Olds because it encourages tight-knit bonds between residents. The community-style bathrooms and shared discomfort unite residents against the common enemy of no air-conditioning in the summer and uncontrollable heat in the winter.
During homecoming weekend, an alumna from the 1980s poked her head in the bathroom as I was getting ready and exclaimed, “This looks exactly like it did when I lived here!”
Many residents support a full bulldozing of Olds. But that doesn’t mean the layout should change. I’ve developed friendships with girls I always see in the bathroom and catch up regularly with girls from other halls in the lounges and lobby. I can even talk to girls on the floor below me through the gap between the hallways and exterior wall.
A good first step to improving Olds would be removing the bathtubs — which have become storage for cleaning supplies — for a third shower in each hall. Adding more washers and dryers would also eliminate the intense foot race to the laundry room and prevent passive aggressive messages on laundry room whiteboards.
However, college residences shouldn’t be so comfortable that students lose sight of what they are working toward in the future. There should be some level of discomfort and inconvenience for residents to joke about and bond over.
And when renovations begin, the residents of Olds will kindly volunteer to temporarily stay in the Dow Hotel, just down the hall from Dow Campbell A & B.
