In the lobby of a new residence hall, a student walks across the
room carrying a basket full of dirty laundry, shorts and shirts
spilling across his arms, a bottle of liquid detergent hooked on
his finger.
The squeak of his tennis shoes as he hurries across the tiled
floor breaks the silence that has so far only been interrupted by
the occasional door-slam as other residents enter the lobby.
He glances at the girl sitting in a brown leather chair by the
glass doors as she waits before he disappears through double doors
and leaves the room silent again.
The lobby, with its white-tiled floors, doctor’s
office-style brown leather chairs, potted plants and absolute
silence could easily be confused for a hospital waiting room.
But it’s his home. He’s crossing the lobby of
Hedrick Summit, one of the newest residence halls on the Hill.
He is one of the nearly 800 students that can call Hedrick
Summit home since it opened this fall. But it is hard to tell
anyone lives in the building upon first entrance.
According to the people who live there, however, beyond the
double doors and silent lobby is a building with rooms full of life
and interesting people, from first-years to transfers to
non-traditional students, who say Hedrick Summit is not the
anti-social hall many expected it to be.
“It’s an interesting community. We represent
everyone from campus,” said Bridget Le Loup, resident
director of Hedrick Summit.
Le Loup said she has enjoyed interacting with the students and
staff, who she says come by her office routinely just to say
hello.
Before they reach her office, though, they have to pass by
another building: the original Hedrick Hall.
There, the first floor welcomes students more like guests in a
hotel, thanks to the recent renovation consisting of new carpet,
neatly painted walls and modern decor.
But unlike students in Hedrick Summit, and most hotel guests,
Hedrick Hall residents do not have air-conditioning in their rooms
to look forward to.
The one thing residents of both buildings do share, however, is
the joy that is “the Walk”: the extra trek students
make to reach their buildings at the top of the Hill, compared to
other residence halls farther down the Hill.
Lisa Brevard, a first-year economics student who lives in
Hedrick Hall, noted the extra-long walk as one of the drawbacks of
living in Hedrick.
“I’ve had times where I’ve had to jog to get
to class. I usually leave a half-hour early to get there five
minutes before class starts,” she said.
But Brevard said the great distance is also a positive. Students
living farther down the Hill do not often come up to Hedrick,
leaving its dining hall as a bonding spot for residents of the
building.
Karen Chao, a fourth-year biochemistry student who lives in
Hedrick Summit, has also found a positive light with which to view
the Walk.
“Despite the climb, it’s nice to come back to a new
building knowing no one else has lived there before,” she
said.
Chao also said she enjoys the eclectic mix of people that live
there. She said her floor is comprised of mostly third-year
transfer students, a living situation which is not what people
probably expect.
“They kind of break the stereotype of being studious.
They’re really social and excited, kind of like
first-years,” she said.
First-years are what people expect to find in Hedrick Hall, as
many older students rush to claim space in Sproul Hall and De Neve,
both of which are closer to campus.
But Brevard said Hedrick is the “full freshman
experience” and everything she expected dorm life to be,
especially the social climate.
“I actually really like it here. People click a little bit
more here. It’s pretty connected. We’ve had social
nights … floor dinners and floor meetings,” she said.
Le Loup said she is also pleased with the mix of people in the
Summit. She said the mix of older students and younger students
makes the jobs of the resident assistants, who are there as
resources for all students, easier. The older students also serve
as resources and mentors for the younger students.
Suzanne Seplow, director of the Office of Residential Life, said
the goal of Hedrick Summit was to combine social elements of the
residence halls with the elements of privacy and quiet that many
upper division students look for.