Students adapt as campus morphs

Author: Anabelle Fowler

Students have returned to the College to find construction sites around campus. The renovations, which are taking place during the fall semester and the academic year, have had their impact on student, faculty and staff lives alike. The biggest projects that are currently underway are the renovation of Proctor Dining Hall, which will open next year, and the McCullough Social Space, which will be ready in January.

Because Proctor is shut down for the academic year, Freeman Dining Hall has been temporarily opened. Freeman has many of the things that gave Proctor character and made it unique, like the panini machines, the large salad bar and the booths from Woodstove Lounge. The general student sentiment is that dining, both in Freeman and the other dining halls, has been running smoothly, except for the large crowds and long lines during the rush hours.

Hillary McReynolds '11 said that the location of the dining halls was not optimal for students who lived on the south side of College Street.

"I'm disappointed that I can't roll out of bed and go to breakfast in Proctor;" she said. "As for Ross, it is too crowded. It is now a zoo."

Will Cunningham '10, who enjoyed eating at Proctor, wondered why the renovations were not completed earlier.

"The renovations should have been scheduled during the summer," said Cunningham. "Even though the Language Schools need space for dining, there is more student need during the academic year. As far as I know, renovations shouldn't take so long."

Students also wondered why the renovation of Proctor Terrace took such a long time to complete.

"It was not a job that required so many people for so much time," said Cunningham.

As for the social space in McCullough, many student organizations are anticipating how the improvements could benefit their activities. The fact that it is closed for a semester, however, has displaced many performances and shows. The International Students' Organization's Cultural Show, which is usually in the McCullough Social Space, will take place in the Town Hall Theater this year. Other student groups that used to hold practices and meetings in the space have also been affected.

"I'm sad about the loss of the social space for dance," said Clara Rubin-Crump '11, co-president of the Footloose Ballroom Dance club, and a member of the Swing Dance Club and Middance. "It's harder to find practice and rehearsal space on campus now."

The Mail Center has been temporarily moved to a trailer on the east side of McCullough until construction for the Social Space is finished. The actual Mail Center in McCullough is not being renovated, and students will be able to collect their mail as before in January. The Mail Center's new location this semester is about 300 square feet smaller than it was in McCullough. Therefore, finding the space to store all the packages that arrive is a real challenge for Mail Center staff.

"We are processing 350 to 400 packages per day, and around 100 more at the warehouse," said Mail Center Supervisor David Larose. "The Mail Center is smaller than it has been in a while, and there are more students now than in previous years. There are several times a day when [my staff] can't find a package because there are so many. We sometimes have to tell students to come back later, and of course we find all packages eventually."

Some students have commented on the inconvenience of having to go to the Mail Center for some packages and the warehouse for others. Larose, however, attributes the smoothness of operation at the Mail Center to the fact that the warehouse is open. The warehouse can store over 1000 packages and will run four hours a day for the rest of the month. Larose said that, when the warehouse closes, finding a new way to store packages will be a top priority.

According to Larose, there have not been many student complaints this semester. Larose believes that this is because the Mail Center staff has kept a positive attitude that has helped things run surprisingly smoothly, despite the tight space.

"They are great and upbeat workers," Larose said of his staff. "We are bumping into each other, but we are making it work."

Jean Lin '10, currently abroad, is looking forward to returning to campus next year, once the constructions are completed.

"I saw the changes made to Proctor Terrace over the summer and was quite pleased with the results," said Lin. "However, I don't feel the construction is very fair for the seniors - that for their last year at Midd, they have to do without 'Sketch-Cullough dances', check their mail in a trailer and eat in dining halls centralized in the northern part of campus," she said in an email.