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The ninth, 10th and 11th floors of Theophilus Tower were completely renovated this summer. This was the first of three summers during which Theophilus Tower will undergo renovations.
Both personal and public spaces on these floors have been updated.
The communal bathrooms are now much more private than they used to be, with the shower curtains previously typical of Theophilus Tower being replaced with stall doors. Shower stalls now are also attached to private changing areas and accessible bathrooms have been placed on these floors. The lounges and halls have been given new paint, lighting and furniture.
Renovated students’ rooms now feature moveable furniture and air conditioning. They also have been repainted and given new flooring and blinds.
“It’s a full gut,” Erik Elordi, assistant vice president of campus services, said of the rooms.
While only a portion of Theophilus Tower has been improved so far, the project will impact roughly 394 beds, according to the Vandal Housing Project website.
Next year, according to Elordi, the first floor’s residential rooms will be fully replaced with student lounges and a kitchenette. Additionally, a newly created terrace on the east side of the building will be furnished to allow outdoor spaces for students. The sixth, seventh and eighth floors will be renovated in a fashion similar to the top floors. In the final summer of renovations, the basement and remaining floors will be updated.
This project took three years to plan prior to execution and is set to cost $30 million. “The way that we’re funding this is through general-issued bonds from the university,” Elordi said. “We borrowed that money, we’re going to repay it … [with] revenue generated from the students that live there.”
“Tuition dollars don’t go to housing,” he added. “It’s 100% the money students pay to live in housing … What we’re doing here has no impact on student fees or tuition for the general university.”
Though Theophilus Tower is a freshman-only dorm, students have still observed the changes between the redesigned and older rooms.
“I’m really happy that we have AC, but we don’t have a whole lot of shelving and everybody else has so much shelving … I had to go out of my way and get some stuff for it,” said Bee De Beer, a freshman living in Theophilus Tower. “It’s fun having a little loft space, but I hit my head because it’s so tall. I feel bad for the people above us.”
Students are invited to review and give feedback on lounge furniture for the upcoming renovations. The first review session will be on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Clearwater-Whitewater Room in the ISUB; the second will be that evening, from 5-8 p.m. in the Whitewater Room in the Living Learning Communities.
Cal Torres can be reached at [email protected].