American University students returned to campus in the fall to a revamped McDowell Hall following renovations, eliciting both criticism and praise among students.
The renovations most notably spruced up the lounges and dorm rooms and transformed the bathroom layouts.
According to University officials, on residence floors, renovators overhauled the restrooms to make them all-gender pods, which are small, closed-off rooms with a toilet and shower. Some of the pods also have a sink and shower bench. They refinished the woodwork of the resident room entrance doors and closets and incorporated new mattresses and furniture into the rooms. Community directors’ apartments were given new bathrooms, appliances, kitchen cabinets and furniture. A residential bedroom was added on floors three through seven. Each floor lounge features new kitchenware and seating accommodations.
According to a video from AU Student Affairs that summarizes some of the changes, in each dorm room, renovators replaced the carpeting and bed frames and refinished wooden surfaces. They converted suite-style rooms to match the University’s standard for double-occupancy spaces.
Resident Quinn Amighi, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he is happy with the recent restroom changes.
“It’s helpful for me, as a transgender person, to be in gender-neutral bathrooms and not have to worry about other people judging me,” Amighi said. “It’s also much easier to change after showering in the pods.”
Kite Upton, a freshman in the School of International Service, likes the pod-style bathrooms, saying that the building project promotes “gender inclusivity.”
“They provide a really nice sense of privacy. [They’re] also gender neutral, which is great as a nonbinary person,” Upton said.
Maya Hastings, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, believes that the changes have made the dorms “a lot nicer.”
Hastings believes, however, that because the bathrooms cut into them, the two dorms at the end of the hall closest to Hughes Hall are smaller than the other rooms.
Her roommate, Carly Castaldy, a sophomore in SPA, expressed similar concerns over how renovations impacted some dorm rooms, saying their living space does not match the one featured in the McDowell Hall virtual tour.
“We had a fridge but didn’t know where to put it,” Castaldy said, referring to her room lacking the wooden shelving featured in the tour. She and Hastings said that no administrative nor housing staff member notified them of the structural alterations before move-in day.
Renovators did not alter the room sizes, according to University officials. Prior to the changes, the two end rooms were slightly smaller than the others while remaining within the typical size range for two-person spaces.
Castaldy and Hastings proposed one solution to the rift in communication between residents and the administration, recommending that administrative staff provide a space for students to address grievances similar to their own. The pair suggested that they add a section to the Room Inventory Form that students are required to complete at the beginning of the year, allowing residents to voice concerns beyond damaged dorm conditions.
Lauren Heng, a sophomore in CAS, lives on the terrace level of McDowell. She struggles with irritable bowel syndrome, making her frequent trips to the restroom necessary. She felt frustrated that, despite the renovations, two of the terrace-level bathroom stalls would not lock.
“It is frustrating when all the stalls that do lock are already taken,” Heng said. “[It makes it] harder to have privacy.”
She contacted the University’s 2Fix Customer Response Center in August, and they repaired the locks.
Heng said that the administration does not do enough to ensure that all dorm amenities are properly functioning. She saw the renovations — at least on her floor — to be more geared towards aesthetics than functionality, reflecting broader problems with the University administration adequately accommodating students.
According to University officials, renovators remodeled the front-desk zone in the lobby to have an open-floor plan to mitigate student congestion and added a modern lobby desk. The lobby features new wallcoverings and wall graphics of the D.C. map.
On the first floor, the University expanded the dimensions of social lounges and added new ones altogether. The University integrated a new showroom for prospective student tours, two game rooms and a small team room, and refurbished the McDowell Formal Lounge, as well.
“I believe that the administration has done this on purpose. They would rather put the burden of reporting repairs that need to be made on the students, as it gives them one less thing to worry about,” Heng said.
She added that students have more “important” and “productive” tasks than submitting 2Fix requests. “Many of us are taking full course loads while, at the same time, participating in often multiple extracurricular activities. We are already stressed enough having to juggle our academic, social and personal lives,” Heng said. “It would be nice if [the administration] could take some of the pressure off and help us out by ensuring that everything is in working condition.”
University officials reported that, in addition to the other changes, renovators made the lobby bathrooms all-gender. In an effort to save more energy, the University added occupancy sensors throughout the building, including ones connected to bedroom heating and cooling units. This way, more energy is saved when dorm rooms are unoccupied.
Renovators added more lounge areas throughout the building and updated all fluorescent lighting to LED. All fire alarm system devices, flooring, ceiling tiles, walls and ceiling elements, window shades, light switches, receptacles and room and directional signage were replaced throughout the building.
The University added new thermostats in every room and linked all heating and cooling units to a primary control system. The University replaced the roofing on all sections of the building and the main air handling and distribution systems at the basement level, as well as replaced the main entry stairs, entry courtyard and the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp.
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella and Emma Brown.
