In an emotionally charged meeting Wednesday night, University Residences announced to members of Ethel Steel House that the building will no longer be occupied after May 2007.
Director Michael Griffel cited numerous reasons for the closure. The facility needed a new roof and overhauls of the electric and plumbing work, and there are currently violations of life safety codes.

“We’re not talking about little fixes or routine maintenance issues,” Griffel said. “It’s a 53-year-old building. When it was built, the systems were believed to be good. But they wear.”
Other requirements Steel House would need to continue operating are internal and external staircases, along with the removal of eight rooms.

“You don’t want people living in a building you have concerns about,” said Leah Andrews, University Residences’ manager of marketing and recruitment.
When news broke that Steel House, the oldest women’s cooperative in the country, would be shut down, its members were visibly upset. During the meeting, several residents broke down into tears. Others crumpled pieces of paper repeatedly or hung their heads.

After the meeting, some hugged and cried onto each other’s shoulders. Others went for a walk to clear their minds.
“Obviously I’m quite angry about it,” said Cyndil Markert, Steel House president. “All of us felt like it was coming. ... But then (we were) handed the paper that said the building won’t be used after May 2007 — that hit us so hard.”

What made the news so powerful was the suddenness of its announcement.
“What would have been a lot better,” Markert said, “if when they started realizing the repairs wouldn’t be able to be fixed, if they brought that to us, the girls would have felt like they could have done something about it. (But) we just had it thrown on our lap.”

Many Steel House residents are concerned about where they will live next semester. Griffel said the most feasible option is moving into another area. What University Residences has to offer, he said, is a section of a building in the Living Learning Community or a whole hall in the Wallace Residence Center.
“The fourth floor of Ballard is completely available,” he said. “It doesn’t have a name or a theme right now. But that’s not hard and fast. It doesn’t have to be there.”

A move into another residence hall will mean higher rates.
Singles in the Ethel Steel House cost $300 less than in Wallace and $1,100 less than in the LLC, according to University Residences’ room-rates chart. This price increase may send some former Steel House members to find somewhere else to live.

“Some girls want to live off campus, but they want Steel House to stay alive,” Markert said. “We don’t want that to disappear. It’s a rich tradition of 53 years. If we could get a discounted rate in Wallace, a lot of girls would stay because it’s so important to us.”
Griffel said several times at the meeting that a lower price in Wallace may be a possibility, but he made sure not to make promises.

“We really do want to work with folks, even though we’re not providing and not meeting identical needs to those of Steel House,” Griffel said. “We do want to provide means with what cards we have on the table.”
Once vacated, the building will be evaluated for future use, which could include offices, storage or demolition. The university currently is working to address a backlog of deferred maintenance for all of its facilities totaling $207 million.

	1. 23-03-2007 13:21
	Don't let Cooperatives die I would hope that the University will honor the tradition of offering affordable housing that cooperatives offer in the future. Closing Steel House the building does not mean that Steel House the Cooperative dorm needs to die. Steel House gave two generations of my family the ability to afford to attend the UI and I am hoping it will be an option for my daughter as well.    Please don't let an aging building keep cooperatives from flourishing on campus. Registered

mnoordam

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