Madeleine Coles
Staff Writer
The fourth floor of Turner Hall has been undergoing renovations for several months.
Over the summer, the showers in Turner Hall were completely redone. Craig Thompson, the Director of Housing at ISU, said that the showers had never been renovated before, and it was a project that ISU is really happy with.
He added that remodeling the showers served multiple purposes, saying, “It was to improve the aesthetic, but also to make it easier to take care of.”
At the beginning of the semester, they decided to also replace the carpet and put a wainscoting on the walls because they are often scuffed and kicked by the students.
“We wanted a really hard surface that we could just wash, rather than repair,” Thompson said. “It’s important for students to have an aesthetically pleasing place to live, and that’s our goal, to make it better.”
Thompson said that the renovations to Turner Hall are ongoing, admitting that they are not the highest priority, but they are making steady progress. “We decided to take a more relaxed pace, and just do it as we had time. Do it right and not rush.”
Thompson also stated he had thought the process would not be too intrusive to the students. “Sometimes it’s nice for students to see the change happening. So that was part of the thought, but it’s also an opportunity,” Thompson said.
However, several of the residents of Turner Hall see it differently. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they were not pleased with the renovations that are occurring.
“Walking out, it’s like ‘why are we living in this construction zone?’ I kind of don’t like it,” the student stated. They also said they feel as though the renovations are something that could have, and should have, been done over the summer.
“I walk out, and I look at it, and it’s like we’re living in a hell-hole,” they added. “I just don’t want to be living in a construction zone. They could have waited.”
Thompson said he was not aware of any student complaints, but he encourages students to talk to him, stating he would adjust the schedule to meet their needs.
“We figured we could do this without impacting too much. There’s not demolition happening. We’re putting up wire tiles, and we’re putting up carpet squares,” he said, describing the renovations as a facelift.
The renovations are set to be completed within three weeks. Thompson said the walls should be done within the week; the carpeting will be arriving on Wednesday, and he anticipates it will take about two weeks to install.
However, after renovations have finished on the fourth floor, they will move on to the fifth floor.
Thompson stated his biggest goal was for students to graduate, and he hopes giving students a nice place to live will help.
