Northwestern College is doing its best to do what’s best for the students, and the new Christy Suites is a great example of that. Although the completion of Christy was pushed back to September, the women of Christy were allowed to move in as early as August 16th.
The majority of Christy women moved in on August 24th as the campus came alive on orientation weekend. “Women were clearly excited to move to college because they started showing up at 8:30ish even though move-in didn’t start util 9,” Resident Assistant Abby Noonan commented. “They also had until like 1 or 2 to get here, and all but about 3 women were here and moving in by 10:30!”
There were many reasons for the women to be excited. Many parking spaces right outside the building made unloading cars much easier. Having an elevator to carry fridges, totes and more was a back saver for many families. Many of the women were also excited about the new style of rooms. High sheetrock walls allow for many new types of decoration hung up with small nails or thumbtacks. Modular beds, dressers and desks allow for different furniture configurations.
Another feature of the room that is loved is the windows. “The rooms are so bright,” another RA Grace Dahl said. “I love sitting by my window in the evenings doing homework and watching the sunsets!” The final new, mentionable feature of the rooms is the bathrooms shared between two of the rooms. These are a controversial feature of the new rooms. Most women love the privacy the bathrooms give. The convenient placement eliminates the awkward walk down the bright hallway in the early hours of the morning to go to the bathroom.
That being said, a lot of the women miss the fellowship that community bathrooms bring. Eliminating the bathroom run-ins from wing life has made making connections with their wingmates difficult for some women. Thankfully, Christy has an immense amount of space throughout the building where the women can relax together and grow relationships. With a lounge on each floor, study lounges on each wing, a kitchen on the second floor and a kitchenette on the third floor, there are plenty of spaces to run into wingmates outside the bathroom.
The new male residents of Smith Hall are also loving their new location on campus. “The location is peak,” Smith RA Payton Van Sickle said. Being able to walk down the stairs to the cafeteria is any college student’s dream.
The Smith men have also enjoyed the luxury of carpeted rooms, modular furniture, air-conditioned rooms, lounge spaces and wing-specific community bathrooms. “I like how the bathrooms are just for each wing, as less people are using them and I get to know my residents more,” RA Donovan Elmore said. “The only problem is that the bathrooms are still pretty inconvenient as they are set up for girls and not boys.”
Overall though, the men have been enjoying their new home in Smith. One man in particular, the dorm’s very own Resident Director, Brian Follett, is loving the new space. Having the lounges is one of his favorite aspects of Smith, and he has already put the first-floor lounge to good use by hosting the first-ever Smith Egg Night.
Although it is not the same as a Coly Egg Night, the residents still enjoyed the community the lounge allowed while the RA’s cooked 300 eggs in an hour for everyone to enjoy. Colenbrander Hall will be missed by many on campus. Its memory will be cherished while we look to the bright future of NW. Let’s go forward, living stand-out lives in our new dorms.
