UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 2, Page 5                                
September 10, 1992                                             
Summer renovation projects make residence halls shine          
                                                               
     Students moving into residence halls this fall found a reopened 
dramatically different Harter Hall, new shower stalls in the Rodney  
complex and Smyth and bigger refrigerators in Christiana Towers as   
well as better laundry facilities.                                   
     In addition, two new residence life programs are in place.      
     The six Rodney buildings on West Campus were the focus of a     
two-summer renovation program. "Every building has a new roof; every 
bathroom has ceramic tile shower stalls; every student room has new  
furniture and fluorescent ceiling lights; and six floor lounges and  
two main lounges have new furniture and tile flooring," Tim Becker,  
assistant director for housing/maintenance, said.                    
     "The Rodney grounds have been completely re-landscaped with     
walkways, low stone courtyard walls, lights and signs to direct      
students through the complex. Final planting of the Rodney courtyard 
will be accomplished early this fall," he said.                      
     Smyth Hall also has new ceramic shower stalls and new plumbing.    
Baseboard heating, which automatically modulates temperature according        
to the outside air, has replaced radiators.                          
     In Christiana Towers, new 14-cubic-foot refrigerators are in the
kitchens, more than twice the size of the previous ones.             
     Carpenters have completed new kitchen cabinet, countertop, stove
and sink installations in 119 apartments, and work will continue until        
all 450 apartment kitchens have been renovated.                      
     New laundry facilities were installed in all residence halls,   
with new and more washers and dryers that feature "time-left"        
indicators telling users how much time is remaining on each cycle.   
Laundry rooms also have been repainted and retiled.                  
     The most dramatic changes, however, occurred in Harter Hall.    
Closed last year for extensive renovations, the oldest residence hall
on campus reopened this fall with accent colors of blue and burnt    
orange, wood chair rails and blue-gray tweed carpeting in all hallways        
and lounges.                                                         
     Harter also has a new heating system, plumbing, windows,  
electical wiring and fluorescent ceiling lights. Student rooms have  
replastered walls, new tile floors, drapes and oak furniture.        
Bathrooms have colorful mosaic tile walls, ceramic tile floors and   
shower stalls and new fixtures. All Harter rooms are wired for       
telephone, cable TV and Ethernet data service. Students in this      
residence hall contract directly with TCI Cablevision for cable TV and        
request activation of their data lines through Computer Network      
Services.                                                            
     Other improvements visible to students include new carpeting in 
many hallways of the Russell, Harrington and Gilbert complexes, as   
well as Lane and Thompson halls; new oak desks and chairs for student
rooms in Sypherd; and new electical outlets in Sharp rooms-doubling  
the number from six to 12.                                           
     Warner Hall window replacement continued, replicating the old   
historic sash windows with thin wood bars and mullions (cross-pieces)
and adding interior storm window panes. The marble and brick Kent Hall        
staircase was rebuilt.                                               
     New room door locks were installed in Lane, Thompson and the       
Harrington complex and freshly painted walls greeted students in six 
Pencader buildings, the Gilbert complex and the lower floors of      
Christiana West.                                                     
     The new programs include:                                       
                                                               
     * "The First Year Experience," designed to help new students make        
       a successful transition to college life and piloted in        
       Dickinson E/F, Rodney A/B and Pencader B, C and D; and        
     * a three-phase LEAD program (Leadership Education at Delaware),
       sponsored by the Office of Housing and Residence Life and     
       designed to help upperclass students develop their leadership 
       skills.                                                       
                                        -Maggie Passero,             
                                   Housing and Residence Life