New dorm graces lower campus

Construction on the St. Ignatius Gate Residence Hall was completed in late August, allowing residents to move in as early as Aug. 29. The new building, the official address of which is 110 St. Thomas More Road was a project that began with site utility and preparation in May 2002 with a projected completion date of July 2004.

"The completion date is a month late because we had some bad snow last December and some extremely cold weather in January 2004," said John Romeo, the director of Capital Construction. "It prevented us from working according to the schedule."

The suite-style rooms in St. Ignatius Gate were modeled after those in Vanderslice Hall. The new residence hall measures 102,000 square feet, which is slightly larger than Vanderslice.

It has a total of 322 beds, with 26 eight-person suites, 15 six-person suites, and one four-person suite.

The rooms in each suite are modeled after those in Vanderslice as well, with slight variations in size.

"The difference between the rooms in St. Ignatius Gate and Vanderslice is that certain bedrooms are slightly smaller due to the design of the lounge area," said Director of the Office of Residential Life Henry Humphreys. "However, the rooms and suites are basically the same size as those found in Vanderslice, if not larger."

Another difference between St. Ignatius Gate and Vanderslice can be found in the increased amount of meeting space in the new building. According to Humphreys, students were asked to give input for the structure and features of the new building precluding and during the construction process.

"It was built with the students in mind since we consulted with several during the project's development," said Humphreys. "Students wanted more meeting space so we allowed for more lounges and study areas for them to use."

"I think that St. Ignatius Gate's strength is that it looks more than a traditional residence hall, less institutionalized," Humphreys added. "It's bright, spacious, and airy. All the lounges have beautiful views and I'm very impressed with the landscaping around the building."

Tom Devine, vice president of Facilities Management attributed St. Ignatius Gate's structure to the change in demand from students.

"The focus groups that we had involved many students that gave us ideas and really lent itself towards the final project," said Devine. "There is a lot more meeting space and lounge space than in some of the other residence halls. We really focused on what the students were asking for within the scope of what we had to work with."

No further construction is planned for the building, except for the addition of "punch-list items" like furniture and lighting. Res Life is currently in talks with Fr. Frank Kennedy, a professor in the sociology department, for getting artwork to decorate the entire building.

The next building to be renovated will be 66 Commonwealth Ave. in spring 2005.

St. Ignatius Gate, which is only accessible by BC ID to students living in junior and senior areas like Edmond's, Gabelli, Voute, Ignacio, and Rubenstein, will be assessed throughout the year by Res Life in order to enhance the living accommodations for its first residents.

Surveys will tentatively be handed out to residents.

The new dormitory forsakes the use of red safety tabs on windows. By design, the screen, which comes first, can open to its full capacity while the glass window can open 10-12 inches from the fourth to sixth floor.

Romeo explained that red tabs could not be used due to the windows' setup.

"When screens are on the outside, external part of the window they usually end up on the ground," said Romeo. "We can't use red tabs because this time the screen is inside. We're hoping things will be ok."

Humphreys stated that St. Ignatius Gate will not be treated differently from other residence halls nor will RAs be stricter enforcing rules despite the building's new furnishings.

"St. Ignatius Gate is getting the same treatment as all the other buildings," said Humphreys. "We don't want students to feel they can't touch anything or be uncomfortable in their own home. RAs do not get any special training for living in the new hall either."

Students complimented the study lounges and local air conditioning in each room.

Some residents say they would like to see some more development of different multi-purpose rooms in the residence.

"There's a room labeled 'cardiovascular room' that only has a big table in it right now," said Steve Ryder, A&S '06. "And I wish there had been a music room, because both 90 and Vandy have them."

For many students, the allure of St. Ignatius Gate is more about the fact that it is new than about the actual dorm itself. "The location of the building is great, but everyone wanted to live here just because it's new," said Phil Abraham, A&S '06. "There's really nothing all that special about it."