Ann’s House on schedule to be open by fall 2009

With construction moving along as scheduled, the new environmentally friendly residence hall Ann’s House will be ready for students by the fall semester of 2009.

“It’s neat that it is environmentally sound,” Dean of students Dr. Norm Pollard said.

Since May, workers have been busy constructing Ann’s House. With the recent overcrowding of AU’s campus, this residence hall couldn’t come soon enough. The hall will provide more rooms and will give students a quality living option that will keep them on campus for the mandatory six semesters.

Located behind the Ford Street Apartments, the hall will be 15,000 square feet with mostly single rooms, and will have enough room for 48 students. Every two rooms will have an adjoining bathroom to share.

This dorm will contribute to the greening of Alfred’s campus. Solar panel technology and environmentally safe materials will help reduce costs and use of energy. Ann’s House will lead the way for more eco-friendly buildings in Alfred’s future.

Ann’s House is being built on the site of an old Fraternity house, and Pollard believes the completion of this dorm will signify Alfred’s movement in a new direction, away from the fraternities of the past. “It shows we are moving on,” Pollard said.

The construction of Ann’s House is made possible by Joel Moskowitz, an Alfred alum who already funded Joel’s House, another newly built residence hall on campus. This hall will be named after his wife, Ann, and according to Pollard, “will be a much nicer living space than many of the off-campus residences.” Pollard stated that this hall “speaks really well for the continuity of community here at Alfred.” People like Moskowitz have a love and a pride for their alma mater, and it shows.

More parking is another plus for Ann’s House. Many students complain of the parking situation on campus, and with more parking available at Ann’s House, parking spaces will open up for more students.

The reaction from students on campus is that they are ready for construction to be finished. The process of constructing the dorm has caused minor inconveniences for the residents of the Ford Street Apartments.

Sounds of drilling and hammering can be heard from the rooms of students early in the morning almost seven days a week. The construction also caused the road to be blocked at times during the day, forcing students to find alternative routes.

“On warm nights when I want my window open, I have to leave it shut because I know the construction will wake me up early in the morning,” junior Mike Buisman said.

When looking at the big picture, these are only minor issues. What Ann’s House will offer students and the AU community in the long run far outweighs the inconveniences its construction has caused.