Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman announced the future of campus housing Wednesday night at a coffee talk in Sanborn Library, including plans to consolidate freshmen into only five clusters rather than the current eight clusters.
The First-Year Experience, the restructuring of freshmen housing, will eventually lead to the clustering of sophomores, juniors and seniors as well, as Redman predicts. First-year students will no longer live in the Gold Coast or in the Fayerweather clusters.
"We received many, many complaints about the first year experience before the current configuration," Redman said. "All the students [currently] living in the First Year Experience clusters feel much more connected to their class."
Freshmen will, however, occupy most of the 500 beds in the new McLaughlin residential cluster and Tuck Mall residence kall.
The current plan is for the 500 new beds to be available for undergraduates by Fall term, but Redman is a bit skeptical of the project's completion.
"Sometimes I have my doubts when I see how little brick is on the buildings," Redman said, "but it is a long way until September."
Redman also described major renovations that will begin in the fall. Hitchcock will be the first residential building to be renovated, due to its old heating system, asbestos problem and faulty plumbing, according to Redman.
Wheeler Hall and New Hampshire Hall will be renovated after Hitchcock, with Massachusetts Row and Richardson to follow. Beginning in the fall, the Lodge and North Hall will most likely also be closed due to the College's increase in beds. Because ORL is closing several residential halls, the 500 new beds actually yield a net gain of 289 beds.
In the McLaughlin Cluster, 70 percent of rooms will be two-room doubles. Four and five-person suites will be at the end of floors with private bathrooms, which are intended to cater to upperclassmen, Redman said. Amenities including a kitchen on every floor and larger lounge areas for activities such as dance parties will also be available.
"You name it, it can happen in these buildings," Redman said.
The Brewster International House will cease to exist once the Hood Museum of Art and the Hopkins Center expand as part of a capital campaign. If and when this happens, Richardson will be renovated sooner than expected in order to serve as the new International House, Redman said.
Once ORL finishes its upcoming projects, it hopes to tear down and replace the Choates Cluster one building at a time and to convert the River Cluster into apartments. Hinman Hall, a building in the River Cluster, will be closed permanently this fall after being sold to the Tuck School of Business.
