The Hobart and William Smith campus will undergo many positive changes over the summer. In particular, Sherrill Hall, a first year residence hall, will be renovated in time for incoming first years. Sherill residents are enticed by the possibility of changes and truly curious as to what would be done to improve their living space.
Firstly, there are no current plans to relocate the campus bookstore which is connected to Sherrill Hall. However, there is a plan to move the laundry room to the first floor of the building to make it more accessible to residents. There is a new social lounge and gender-inclusive bathroom planned to be also created on the first floor of Sherill over the summer break. The common rooms on the second and third floors of the Sherrill dorm have been renovated over the winter break to create hybrid social and academic spaces, similar to those in JPR.
This concept is called the Student Experience Initiative, a larger campus-wide effort seeking broad student input from Student Trustees, student governments, surveys, and feedback from the HWS community, including Community Assistants and Campus Life staff. In a big picture view, these further Sherrill renovations are part of a larger project including differences with Saga hours, the Morning Express shuttle, and other additional study spaces on campus, all inspired by feedback from students.
It is important to note that the student group READI (Real Estate/Architecture/Design) is taking charge of the planning stages for the bathroom outside of the Women’s Resource Center. There have been many brainstorming sessions with the student governments and class presidents as well as survey feedback from students about renovations. As a result, the goal of enhancing communities with more social and academic space options in the best interest of students is something for the entire college to be looking forward to.