News

By Katherine Doyle

This past fall, several residence rooms on the Agricultural Campus underwent a makeover, transforming them into more modern and functional spaces. This renovation will allow students to put their own creative spin on the layout and design of their room.

Chapman House Residence had 32 rooms renovated on the first and second floors on the South Side. All 16 first South rooms were turned into Super-Singles with double beds.  On second South, 11 of the 16 rooms were turned into Super-Singles with single beds and five have remained as double rooms with two single beds.  All rooms on second South have the ability to be turned into double rooms with the addition of an extra single bed.

This renovation included replacing the original built-in furniture such as the desk and captains bed, with new furniture that can be moved and adjusted. This allows students to arrange their room however they like. All of the rooms were completely gutted, a fresh coat of paint and new flooring was installed and lighting was updated, additional electrical outlets were installed as well.

Nick Gear, an agricultural business student expressed his admiration for his newly renovated room.

“I love that the new furniture is moveable, which lets me rearrange my room any way I want. You can also adjust the height of the bed, which allowed me to add more storage underneath.”

The ability to reorganize the furniture has enabled Nick to create a more open-concept approach to his room. “It feels more open, it’s brighter and has a more modern look compared to the old rooms," he added.

Nick is also one of the Residence Assistants in Chapman House, who loves his job and living in residence.

“I moved from a condo into residence, which was a bit of a change, but I enjoy living in residence because it’s extremely convenient. Everything is right here.”

Once the academic year is completed, residence rooms are used for conferences with 350 rooms available. There are three different options for conference rooms: single bed, double bed and two single beds in one room.  

Caitlyn Hutchison who works for Residence Operations on the Agricultural Campus expressed her excitement about the renovation.

“I’m excited about the new rooms – they are a great improvement and I hope the students love them!  I’m excited to see what the renovations could mean for the future of Residence and Conference Services.”