Were the Towers Residence Halls really meant to be temporary housing?

Hardly.

But destruction of the Towers when they outlived their usefulness, estimated at about 20 years, is one popular anecdote among the students living at Towers.

Popular rumors claim the buildings were meant to be temporary housing, and since the university could not afford to build more housing for those living in Towers, the buildings were kept intact.

In fact, some students claim there are holes in the basements of the buildings that are meant as holes for the dynamite which was to be used in their destruction.

Virginia Arthur, director of Towers Residence Halls, said no destruction is, or ever was, planned for the buildings.

“You don’t build buildings on a temporary basis out of concrete and steel,” Arthur said.

The buildings have been around since the mid to late 1960s. Storms Hall was the first built in 1965 and Wilson Hall was the last to be constructed in 1969.

One rumor that is true about the buildings and is true of most high-rise buildings is that they sway in the wind.

Arthur said that water in the toilet does move around a bit on a windy day, but doesn’t splash out of the toilet. The amount of movement of the building is, she added, accurate and necessary.

“It is completely false that it is going to tip over,” said Complex Manager Doug Gruenewald.

Fortunately, despite the rumors, many students living in Towers are pleased with their residence.

“I don’t think it’s a bad place to live,” said Greg Richter, a senior in industrial engineering who lives in Storms Hall. In fact, he likes it.

Kristine Backman, a freshman in art, has not heard the rumors but said that living in Towers doesn’t bother her. “It’s nice to be away from campus”

One thing Towers residents have to keep as a priority is to minimize trips to and from campus.

Richter said he tries to schedule his classes in a block, so he doesn’t have to have to make many trips. “Sometimes it can be a problem when something you need is on campus.”

Elevators are important to most of the residents, and there are problems from time to time.

We always try and report problems with the elevators right away and get them fixed as soon as possible, Gruenewald said.

Elevators in all of the buildings except Wallace Hall have been renovated recently and Gruenewald said Wallace Hall most likely will be completed next year.

“Towers is a great place, and we want residents to speak up if there is a problem,” Gruenewald said.