Renovations completed during the summer in Case Hall have been a blessing and a curse depending on which James Madison College student you talk to.
During the summer, Case Hall’s north and south lounges were renovated. Old sofas and armchairs were replaced with modular furniture and large study tables, and murals have replaced what was once exposed brick.
It was time to replace the worn-out furniture, said interim director of Residence Education and Housing Services Ray Gasser, but these renovations were mainly spurred by the elimination of the computer lab that used to be housed in Room 337.
“We had an opportunity to transform the two Case lounges with new furniture and computers,” Gasser said via email.
Students are generally happy with the redesign. “I think it’s nice — it’s a lot more modern,” comparative culture and politics junior Erica Teklinski said. “There are a lot more study tables if you need to do group projects.”
Comparative culture and politics junior Kayla Ashley-White said she hadn’t realized that the lounges were new, but she likes the design of the south lounge.
The north and south study lounges were designed to fit different needs, Gasser said.
The north lounge is a social lounge, he said, with “places and technology that would allow for students to engage and socialize whether it be with a TV or just space that is more open for conversation.”
The south lounge has been designed as “a more quiet and concentrated place for studies,” Gasser said.
Although students generally prefer the new design and furniture of the lounges, they have one major concern.
What used to be Case Hall’s computer lab is now a Rooms for Engaged and Active Learning, or REAL. The room is focused on learning through technology, but it also requires students to bring their own computers to class.
Each lounge now holds only eight computers, far fewer than the 30 or so that were available in the former computer lab.
Students are worried the computers in the lounges won’t be sufficient during class breaks and exams.
“If you have to print a paper and you come now, you’re pretty much screwed because all the computers are full,” Teklinski said.
Comparative culture and politics junior Caitlin Aitchison said it’s not surprising that MSU is reducing the available computers.
“At this day and age, everybody needs a laptop,” Aitchison said.
Aitchison said the computers in the updated lounge are a lot faster and obviously new.
The renovations have been praised, but most students agree the area is becoming almost too popular.
“I think we’ll find out when everyone’s papers are due how efficient it is,” Teklinski said.
