By Stephanie Webster
The college dorm is the home away from home to students. Throughout the days, the lobbies are their living rooms, the microwave and sink their kitchen, and their room, well, their room.
Niagara University dates back to 1856 and is bound to have some musty and long lived traits. Updates do not necessarily conflict with Niagara University's vast history. In fact, it builds what has yet to come for the school's reputation.
A flavorful living space could attract many students who are on the fence in terms of the college they plan to attend. Lobbies fulfill the common interests of couches, cupboards, tables, microwaves and even ping-pong and pool tables. Some decor, however, is the aging cherrywood synonymous with out-of-date furniture, making some reluctant to use as they search for better places to gather. A home is a place of gathering, and, in this temporary home, quality areas for gathering is appropriate.
Through the director of residence life, students may express concern or means to improve it. Even the residence advisers encourage tips for the living areas. Beyond bricks and florescent lighting, for example, may be found to be quite stale by students for a living area. One suggestion is putting up artwork that staff and students can appreciate.
O'Donoughue and Lynch Hall have rooms that use wooden furniture that provide a classical tone. Tile trims are engraved with much detail. Plain white curtains and old-fashioned heaters contribute to the aesthetic. The building is also surrounded by a green landscape with paths through slumps in the landscaping. In mostly single rooms, the dorms are comfortably compact. Lynch makes use of its design by utilizing its room with elongated windows as a lobby.
Clet Hall has a spiraled carpet, a fitting decor for the attached theater. Even from the exterior, a bold cross overlooks the scattered campus paths. It has plain wooden chairs, desks and tables. The light stone bricks cemented together in a conglomerate manner solidify another of the campus' old buildings.
O'Shea and Seton halls have the dated-back modern look with the typical college large entrance lobby. A mass of chairs of multiple colors fill the rooms. Game room tables for pool and ping-pong are a preferred way to spend downtime. Residing near the entrance are cupboards, sinks and microwaves for a kitchen area. Raised tables and chairs are made use of for lounging in general or for studying. Lobbies for the floors also pertain of such kitchen areas with wooden, cushioned chairs.
So, the dorms have the essentials for a living residence, and additional attention to detail highly improves the quality of the university. For example, a mural in Lynch Hall of religious figures promotes spirituality and inspiration. The theater attached on Clet Hall serves as a convenient location for theater enthusiasts, especially for any sort of musical practice or acting rehearsal. The student path outside of Seton Hall provides a scenic walk to the first class of the day.
CAs take extensive pride in the crafts of the floor they live on. Each one with its initial theme, a wall is decorated based on it. Each resident is personally provided decor on the door, customly named, upon the room resided in. More various themed, such decor is placed throughout the time there. There could be anything from a surfing theme to a jungle theme. Smaller themes consist of Cinco de Mayo skulls, marshmallows roasting over a firepit in commemoration of the newly built firepit outside of Dunleavy Hall, and red and green elves with googly eyes. Bulletin boards address common aspects that are important to the floor, including fire safety tips and listing of the population's diversity. Flyers provide useful information on upcoming events and promotions.
The identification system has become a quicker process from the 2016-17 year through having a desk worker take a student ID card and swiping it to use the elevators or stairs. The ground floors have become less cumbersome with a more effective flow of entering and departing students.
As impressive as Niagara University's dorm buildings are, improvements are always a viable option, typically for maintenance. Spontaneous cracks, scratches on floors, carpet stains and faulty blinds are essential to be timely repaired. Glitches in washers and dryers that result with them not being usable need repair to allow an optimum use of machines.
A resident of O'Shea Hall stated, "Half these washing machines won't work, then just start working again."
Students, courteously impatent, will move people's laundry for them, sometimes leaving a note on the machine of which it came.
Older dorms seem to have loud heaters. Some sinks and showers in upper floors allegedly were not heated well in past years, however, the temperature is heated adequately.
Much work is put into maintaining quality control in the university's dorms.
In anticipation of a new semester, Residence Director Carl Wilms encouraged students "keep in mind a few things moving forward in regards to needing these vacancies to be kept clean and available for move in" for new coming students.
According to Wilms, the bare minimum for a student is a "bed, desk, dresser and closet" in their room. Yet, the right ones can keep that new student encouraged by the university. For example, desk chairs have a nice "rocking" feature that keeps antsy students on alert. With the right muster, a bed frame can be taken out of its pegs and have its elevation changed. Enough cabinets for coats and drawers for desirables, there are plenty features to count in Niagara University dorms.
There is a significant overall maintenance of up-to-date commodities for students at Niagara University. It comes across generic, yet quality, and serves its purpose. It comes across traditional fashionably. It is long lived and high-quality, all in itself an attractive quality of the university. It has been a well-refined university through its long existence. The style of Niagara University reflects that aspect.