Gillett students displaced as renovations begin
Residential Life will need to find places for 414 Gillett residents.
Published Dec. 1, 2009
Gillett residence hall, built in 1966, is scheduled to begin renovation at the beginning of the spring 2010 semester and be completed by the fall 2011, the Residential Life Master Plan states.
The hall's closing will displace 459 residents, who will be forced to move to a different residence hall by the end of the semester.
Freshman Jared Foldy is one of the students applying for new housing for next semester.
"They pretty much told us we could either choose another dorm to live in or keep our roommate," Foldy said. "Me and my roommate chose to stick together and they're just going to randomly place us. We're not going to find out until over Christmas break, which is pretty unfortunate, but that's what we have to work with."
MU is working with students to help them in the moving process. Foldy said the Department of Residential Life told students it would provide them with boxes and move all of students' belongings to the new room assignments.
Some students have chosen to move out before Gillett closes. There were 459 students living in Gillett at the beginning of the semester, whereas there were 414 living there as of Nov. 16, Gillett Coordinator Laura Corry Denlinger said.
Foldy said Gillett wasn't the first choice for him or many other residents of the hall this semester.
"It ended up sort of being given to me because I signed up for registration late and was placed here," Foldy said.
Freshman Ashley Hartman was late in signing up for housing and didn't give first preference to Gillett but said she has enjoyed her time there.
"I love it," Hartman said. "Everyone has an open door policy, everyone is friends and take care of each other. We all go out together. I haven't heard that in a lot of other dorms, so I'm really going to miss that."
Freshman Nathan Batchelor said he has also enjoyed the community within Gillett.
"Later in the semester we started getting together, and talking, and being more open with everyone," Batchelor said. "It's cool that we're doing that now, but the whole floor won't be bale to move to a different floor in a different hall."
Hartman said things within Gillett are old but functional.
"Everything is really old, but I really don't mind it," Hartman said. "Nothing's faulty or anything."
Many students said the bathrooms were the worst area of Gillett.
"The bathrooms are really old, the floor is uneven in the shower and the curtains don't really close all the way," Hartman said. "All the plumbing shows by the sinks, and it just looks yucky."
Foldy said he has grown to appreciate Gillett's imperfections.
"I've really grown to love how run down it is," Foldy said. "I didn't want to live in a super pampered state my freshman year. I feel like the whole purpose of your freshman year is to sort of embrace living on your own and living in a sort of run down place."
Despite the residence hall's age and poor shape in many areas, Foldy said there are some parts of Gillett students will miss.
"I think probably the biggest change will be that I'll have to walk farther to go eat because Rollins is right here, and that's sort of been a luxury," Foldy said. "I've kind of taken that for granted, now that I think about it."