Extra perks greet new Harnwell residents

Naiel Iqbal returned to a very different dorm room after a summer in New York.

Iqbal, the resident adviser of floor 23 of Harnwell College House, has lived on that floor for the last three years and has been an RA for the last two. However, the Harnwell he used to know now sports a brand-new face.

Over the summer, the building exterior was resurfaced and the windows replaced. As with similar projects in the other two high-rise dormitories, all rooms were outfitted with new furniture and air-conditioning units.

The twist this time was that the bathrooms and kitchenettes were completely remodeled on select floors in Harnwell. Floors 23 and 24 were the first to undergo these changes.

These changes were not originally planned for this round of renovations. The work on the other two high rises cost less than anticipated, allowing for the new additions in Harnwell.

Facilities and Real Estate Services employees plan to study students' reactions to the remodeled kitchenettes and bathrooms before making similar changes to all of the rooms at a later time.

As in the other two high-rise dormitories, office space on the first and second floors was converted to residential.

With these major changes came some minor maintenance issues -- the hot water did not work for a short time and an electrical outlet was broken -- but Iqbal said that these issues were addressed promptly by maintenance workers.

Residents reacted positively to the renovations.

"The bathroom looks much cleaner compared to what was here before," College sophomore David Jee said.

Although not everyone received a room with the new changes, residents did not seem to mind having the old rooms.

Angie Chung, a senior in the College who lived in Hamilton College House the year it was renovated and in Harnwell last year before it was renovated, said that she did not mind living in one of the older rooms as long as it had a working bathroom and appliances.

Chung added that she thinks "they remodeled [High Rise] North a little bit nicer" and that the furniture added to Hamilton College House seemed newer.

Student reaction to the renovations will be studied, and every summer more of the interior spaces in the high rises will be renovated, Senior Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Omar Blaik said.

Another interior change that has been made this year is the addition of student lounges to both the 23rd and 24th floors. These lounges are a place where "people can get together," Iqbal said, adding that lounges on every floor are a welcome alternative to using the lobby or a lounge on a different floor.

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