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BY AMANDA WINTERS

In print | Published September 9, 2004

When the Parrish renovation project is completed, residents will have a new fourth floor lounge and kitchen joining the two wings. But, for the time being, residents are left without public area computers, useable lounge space or other amenities.

Room 300, the lounge on Parrish Third East, is intended to be a computer room, yet there are currently no computers there or in any public areas in the residential portion of Parrish. There are also no televisions in the three open lounges, which are right across the hall from the construction barrier.

In addition, the lounges have little furniture and, given their location at the end of the halls, are most susceptible to noise and dust from construction.

Parrish RA Lola Irele ’05 said due to the condition of the lounges, her hall “just had [their first meeting] in the hall.”

“Some of my friends want to hang out here, but there are no lounges. It could be better if we had a lounge or some TVs,” Justin Chen ’08 said.

Jonathan Sarmiento ‘06 felt unaffected by the lack of TVs or lounges. "Frankly, it doesn’t bother me that much," he said. He pointed to the fact that Hallowell, where he lived as a sopohmore, did not have lounges last year due to a housing crunch.

Because of last year’s housing crunch, lounges in Hallowell were converted into rooms, The Phoenix reported.

“The first week without the Internet and the lack of computers was really a pain,” Parrish resident Sarah Gordon ’07 said. She also noted that “a few days [the construction] definitely woke me up earlier than I wanted to.”

Students have also voiced ccomplaints about reduced social life as a result of the construction project.

Lee Paczulla ‘05, who has requested a room change, recalled, "Last year people were always walking through Parrish because it’s so central. This year they just come in to check their mailboxes and leave as soon as possible."

“I lived in Parrish last year, so I like the building,” Paczulla said. What moved her to request a room change were both the isolation and the noise. She described the social side of Parrish as “just kind of lifeless.”

“The major loss is Parrish Parlours,” Parrish RA Jesse Young ‘05 said. He did not see a major change in social life in the building. "I don’t think [the social life] is any different than before," he said.

“I think when people try to get in this dorm they realize it’s not the center of social activity,” said Tyler Lyson ’06, who described the social atmosphere of Parrish as “fairly quiet.”

Some believe the construction elicits intense reactions only from those who have previously lived in Parrish. “The freshmen don’t really see [the construction] as an inconvenience, as they haven’t lived here before,” Irele said.

“It’s been very frustrating as an RA to have all of these issues on the hall,” said Irele about the renovation project, but she also added that, “it’s more of an annoyance.”

“I’m trying to stay positive because I know it’s all for a purpose,” she said.

Young noted that the men’s side of the dorm has yet to experience the worst effects of the construction. “I’m waiting to see what happens when they start working on [the men’s] side,” he said.

He pointed to the planned construction of an elevator shaft as potentially posing a major inconvenience.

Currently the east and west central staircases, the north wing and Second East are closed, as are the third floor West hall lounge on the men’s side and the women’s east wing kitchen.

Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal said the project is expected to be completed before residents move in for fall 2005.

New sprinklers and upgraded electrical systems should be in place within the next few weeks, but other improvements are unlikely to be completed during this academic year.

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