After the first two weeks of the fall semester, seniors are settled in their woodframe houses, which are furnished by the University for the first time this year. A major change from the past when seniors were responsible for furnishing their own residences, many view it as positive despite an increase in woodframe housing costs.
“I think if I had to buy [the furniture] separately, once these things were all added up, it would have exceeded the addition to our housing cost,” said Kara Brodgesell ’07. “Of course, that cost is not exactly low anyway.”
The furniture provided to all senior houses includes a double bed in each bedroom along with a three-drawer dresser, a bookcase, and a desk with a chair. The common areas are furnished with a kitchen table seating four, a couch, an armchair, and several small coffee tables.
The favorite among the new University furniture is the double bed, but many have noted that it takes up a lot of space.
“The beds are really big and the rooms are really small,” said Alex Early ’07.
Despite the new amenities, many seniors still found something lacking in the provided furnishings.
“You go in with the expectation that you’re going to have to bring some of your own furniture,” Early said.
Students were also grateful to avoid the heavy lifting of move-in day.
“I can’t imagine how big of a pain in the ass it would have been to haul in my own [bed] up a flight of stairs,” said Molly Gaebe ’07.
Although the provided furniture may all look the same, seniors ultimately agreed it was worth the sacrifice.
“I was concerned about the rooms feeling boring and similar, [but] the uniqueness of each house and people’s ability to put their personality into their living spaces has prevented that from being an issue,” Brodgesell said. A problem faced by last year’s woodframe residents was the unexpected necessity to sell furniture because juniors would be less interested in purchasing items for already-furnished houses.
Maggie Starr ’06 had a difficult time getting rid of furniture at the end of last year, noting that the added benefit of furnished houses meant less of the rising seniors were willing to put in extra effort to obtain furniture. “You don’t want to cart something back home and then all the way back to Wes,” Starr said.
Ed Kenny ’07, who lived in a woodframe house as a junior, noted the frustration of having to find a way to get rid of so much furniture.
“ResLife should take a more pro-active role in helping seniors replace furniture they can no longer sell to up and coming seniors,” Kenny said.
Though the University has been hard at work in providing seniors with furniture for woodframe houses beginning this year, some seniors feel that more important things are being overlooked.
Problems range from lights that don’t have switches to turn them off to the lack of garbage cans, which Brodgesell said results in the regular feeding of a neighborhood skunk.
Early also mentioned problems on Fountain Street, noting windows that require brute strength to open and an exterior in need of a paint job.
“When you look at it, the first thing you think is, ‘My God, when was the last time this house has been painted?’” Early said.
In the end, most seniors are pleased with their new, furnished living accommodations.
“I think that ResLife made the right decision to furnish the houses, since the overall quality of furniture has greatly improved,” Kenny said.
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