Thursday, August 23, 2001
Refurbished Waits opens doors
Residents return to residence hall after $9.2 million of improvements
By John-Mark Day
staff reporter

Waits Hall officially opened its new doors to residents Saturday after nine months and $9.2 million in renovations.

The campus community may visit the hall at an open house 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Waits Hall Director Christy Lehew said the hall was completely refurbished, leaving only the floor, support pillars and external walls.

“Renovation is to gut and redo,” Lehew said. “It looked like a skating rink.”

Community restrooms were converted from multiple stalls to combine one shower and one toilet per stall. Other changes include widened hallways with window seats, an elevator and a talking fire alarm. A five-room suite was added to the second floor, and two loft apartments were added on the third floor.

The lofts consist of four double rooms with skylights that share a private bathroom and living room. Only girls living in the lofts have access to the living area, Lehew said.

“The loft apartment functions as a bridge. Students still have the (community feel) of living in a hall but with more privacy,” she said.

Lehew said the renovations have greatly improved Waits.

Waits houses 211 female residents. After the renovations, rooms in Waits now cost $1,890 per semester for a nonsuite room and $2,185 for a suite.

Joey England, a junior biology major, agreed that the new changes were welcome. England lived in Waits before the renovation, and has returned as a Waits resident assistant.

“There are just little things that I like,” England said. “It’s a lot healthier now. I used to have allergy problems in the hall before, but I don’t now.”

There are still some problems to be worked out, England said.

“When we first got here for RA training, there was no furniture, so we had to live in Foster,” England said.

Waits was ready for residents when the hall received a Certificate of Occupancy from the city and furniture.

With work still going on in the hall, Lehew said security for her residents is still a priority.

“Propped doors are always a large concern,” Lehew said. “The police watch more closely, and the staff are more careful.”

Even though Waits is not quite finished, Lehew said the renovations are a success with the residents.

“Watching the reactions of the girls when they check in has been fun,” she said.

One of those girls checking in Saturday was sophomore nursing major Kate Brodine.

“This is so exciting,” Brodine said. “It makes a huge difference that the hallways are wider. I didn’t really like that (narrow hallways) last year in Colby.”

Brodine’s father agreed.

“Last year was like boot camp in comparison,” he said.Lehew said she did not know when the hall would be completely finished, but all that was left were minor details.

Milton Daniel Hall is the next residence hall scheduled for renovation, Lehew said. It will close December 2002 and re-open for the fall of 2003.

John-Mark Day
j.m.day2@student.tcu.edu

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