On Tuesday, the Daily posted an article about the new dorms that will be built adjacent to Buchanan Hall, which included the budget and design aspects for these new dorms. I have lived in both Friley Hall as well as Maple-Willow-Larch, and have been in most dorms as I’m sure every other student on campus has too and I was concerned about the budget that Iowa State has for these new dorms and how it is being used.

My intention is not to degrade any particular campus dorms, but as most students know, they are not all created equally and each has very different standards of living. With Friley Hall and Helser Hall being older dorms, it is obvious that they are going to be in a different condition as newer dorms such as MWL or Buchanan (disregarding the fact that Buchanan is a junior/senior dorm), but my experiences between living in Friley and living in MWL were drastically different. 

It is apparent that we need more student housing on campus, but I think Iowa State needs to look at the dorms we currently have and question if we really need to build a dorm with, “a modern feel with a lot of glass,” when we have dorms that are cramped, without air conditioning units, bathrooms that make most mothers cringe, and filthy walls and ceilings. 

Transforming Legacy into dorms was, in my opinion, one of the greatest decisions Iowa State could have made, because they did not have to create an entire new building and it offers students a different style of living than the traditional two-person room. Dorm life is an experience, and where a student lives on campus will definitely have an impact on whether that experience is a positive or a negative one.

So instead of creating this new masterpiece for a residence hall, I think Iowa State needs to reevaluate the state of the current dorms, and think about how to increase the experiences that all of the students have in dorms. 

In the article, student Cole Staudt was quoted saying, “it’s not a place to live, it’s a place to thrive,” and I would like Iowa State to really survey and experience all of the residence halls on campus and determine if they are able to thrive in each environment.

My guess is the answer wouldn’t be a pretty one.