The College has converted 44 doubles in Fahey and McClane residence halls to triples to accommodate the rise in the number of students this year, and has started major renovations on the former Thayer Dining Hall, now called the Class of 1953 Commons.
The College decided to change the rooms from two-room doubles to triples to accommodate the Class of 2014, which has roughly 50 more students than previous classes.
These rooms were only offered to incoming freshman who indicated a preference for two or more roommates, Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels said in an interview. The rooms feature an additional set of furniture, which includes a bed, under-bed storage, a wardrobe, a desk and a chair, as well as an additional towel bar and A/V jack, Eckels said.
As of now, College officials do not plan to offer reduced rates to students who move into the converted triples, Eckels said, but there are cases of other schools cutting prices when an additional student is brought into a room.
The University at Albany, for example, offers a 20 percent discount to students for each week they live in this situation, according to its website.
The University of Florida will place approximately 600 students who either had "very late" housing applications or preferenced such a room in "late application triples," according to the school's website. The rate per semester for a late-application triple is $1,848, compared with $1,948-$2,048 for other air-conditioned triples and dorms.
At this point, the College has no plans to reduce the rooms' occupancies in the future, Eckels said.
The College also does not plan to increase future freshman class sizes to match the number of students in the Class of 2014, acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears previously told The Dartmouth.
College officials selected Fahey-McLane because the increase there would not significantly reduce the quality of life of students living in the relatively new residence hall, Spears said. Fahey-McLane is also equipped with modern amenities that make it better able to cope with additional residents, Spears said.
Over the summer, the College continued with its changes to Dartmouth's Thayer Dining Hall, now called the Class of 1953 Commons. While Homeplate has been open during interim, Food Court remains closed for renovations.
As part of the renovations, the booths and platforms were removed from Homeplate, increasing the dining capacity of the space, according to students who had used the renovated facility.
"It's a lot more spacious," Angela Dunnham '13 said. "I think it's very accommodating to groups as well. I like it personally. It's a different look, something to get adjusted to."
Food Court will reopen for the Fall term and, with Homeplate, will maintain regular operations. Kosher food, which was served out of the Pavilion, will now be served out of Homeplate.
In November 2009, College President Jim Yong Kim announced that the College would use a $12 million gift from the Class of 1953 to renovate Thayer Dining Hall rather than using the donation to construct a new dining and social facility, as originally planned. Thayer was renamed the Class of 1953 Commons at a May 25 dedication ceremony.
Construction will continue until the estimated completion date in Fall 2011, according to a June update.
The renovations to the Class of 1953 Commons will lower annual electricity and steam costs from $900,000 to $600,000 in the updated building, vice president for Facilities and Operation Linda Snyder previously told The Dartmouth. Renovations will also feature additional space for studying and dining, increasing space by 3000 square feet for a total of 1,000 seats, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"The building will look much more modern and will provide more space for dining and also studying or simply gathering. We want it to facilitate interactions between students, faculty, staff, and community members," Matt Purcell, associate director of Planning, Design, and Construction said in a May College press release.
