Buchanan Hall residents are living in a cloud of confusion, unsure of where they will live this summer after their residence hall closes for renovations and changes that could drive them away from the dorm.Concerns arose among residents living in Buchanan Hall when a rumor about changing the 21-and-over residency dorm to undergraduate living was confirmed by a letter from the Department of Residence.Randy Alexander, director of residence, issued a letter Jan. 18 that formally notified students about renovation plans for Buchanan Hall scheduled to begin after the Spring 2001 semester, said Melissa Brunia, Buchanan resident. According to the letter, the renovations will include the transformation of the dorm into an undergraduate facility for students with at least a sophomore classification. Currently, Buchanan is primarily for international students and students 21 or older.A meeting will be held with Alexander and the students of Buchanan Hall to voice concerns and answer questions Thursday at 9 p.m. in the main lounge in Buchanan Hall. Until then, the students are left with questions and doubt.”We had been hearing rumors for quite a while,” said Brunia, Government of the Student Body senator for alternative housing. “We are kind of upset that we got the letter on a Friday, but they won’t tell us anything else until the meeting on Thursday.”The plan to renovate Buchanan Hall is part of the Department of Residence Master Plan and will increase room sizes and shower facilities, among other things, according to the letter. However, Adam Jones, Buchanan resident, said the projected renovations are not necessary.”Just two weeks ago, a brand-new and fully renovated computer lab was opened, and the shower facilities are in perfect working condition,” said Jones, junior in chemical engineering.Buchanan Hall houses about 300 students, many of whom are international students, said Brunia, senior in genetics.”In most cases they are the only member of their family residing in the U.S.,” Jones said.Kathy Zaimes, Buchanan Hall president, said some students already paid the down payment for the Fall 2001 semester.”We weren’t given a long period for notification or for making a smooth transition for moving elsewhere,” said Zaimes, junior in physics.The residence department-issued letter said Buchanan residents will have the option to move to University Village, Hawthorn Court or one of the Towers Residence Association halls, Brunia said.According to the Buchanan lease, residents must be given notice of renovation at least 45 days in advance if it will force them to move out, Brunia said. Although the residents have about three months to find housing for the summer and next fall, she said this is not enough time.”Three months, with class work and everything, is not enough time to research the options and find out what is best to fit the needs of the residents here,” Brunia said.Jones said the other options will not be available for residents during the summer, whereas Buchanan is a year-round facility.”The residents of Buchanan Hall do not go home for the summer,” he said. “Their research goes on year-round.”Some residents said the diversity among Buchanan residents will be lost when they relocate to other housing.”The living environment of Buchanan is unique to Iowa State,” Jones said. “It is comprised primarily of international students involved in graduate studies. Many visiting scientists and scholars are also housed here. I doubt the concentration of scientific knowledge in Buchanan can be found in any other dormitory on campus.”Students living in Buchanan Hall will have top priority in moving back to the hall when it is reopened in the fall of 2002. However, Zaimes said the changes in requirement for residency in Buchanan will diminish the current atmosphere of the dorm.”The level of maturity wouldn’t be the same, and we would start to see incidences that you see in other dormitories,” she said.Kate Bruns, communications specialist for the Department of Residence, said the department is focusing on what is best for the residents.”The rest of it is still in a planning stage,” she said. “We’re trying to create something that is in the needs of the students.”