Hiett Hall welcomes students for first timeThe new residence hall on campus has officially opened for the 2003-2004 school year and is already being hailed as a success by many students.
Sean Grady notes, “After spending a summer in Plantz, I am pleased with how exquisite my new accommodations are. Now I never have to leave my room again.”
The $15.3 million residence hall is located behind Ormsby Hall and overlooks the Fox River. The 79,500 square foot structure offers housing for 183 students in either 2-person or 4-person suites, or 4-person quads. There is also an apartment for the hall director, and two singles open to the general lottery.
Each suite includes bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, and a common living area. The singles have a bedroom and bathroom. Quads have two rooms with a bathroom. Three of the four floors have large central kitchens, complete with microwaves, a refrigerator, and oven. All floors have lounge areas and cable TVs. Laundry facilities and vending machines are located on the first floor. The dorm also has two large elevators.
It is the first residence hall built on campus since Kohler Hall was completed in 1967.
Sophomore Rodrigo Ferreira notes, “This is the first residence hall at Lawrence where the rooms do not resemble that of a monastery. I can’t wait until they renovate the rest of the halls and theme houses.”
Hiett Hall is reserved for upperclassmen only, which had previously been the case in Sage Hall. Freshmen are now able to live in Sage.
The dorm is named after Kim Hiett Jordan, class of ’58, a member of the board of trustees, who donated a large sum of money to aid in its building. Jordan was also noted in the 1999-2000 Development Report as a generous supporter of Science Hall, which was dedicated in October 2000.
In an interview with ******The Lawrentian****** last year, President Warch noted that the building of the new dorm was a big step in improving student life. He stated that preliminary plans were being discussed for renovations and improvements in the already existing student housing, but could not give a time table and stressed that these potential improvements were still far in the future.