Photo by: Paula Groff
In an email to the Elizabethtown College community released Tuesday, July 16, President Cecilia McCormick announced that the residential renewal plan for the Schlosser and Royer Residence Halls, known as the Zimmer Project, would be halted.
The Zimmer Project called for the demolition of Schlosser and Royer, and the two residence halls would be replaced by apartment-style buildings.
Previously, the Zimmer Project was a source of controversy in the community. It was the hotly debated topic at the spring 2019 Board of Trustees meeting, and the funding motion for the Zimmer Project was eventually passed at that meeting, though four trustees had voted against it.
The concerns over the Zimmer Project at that time were because some trustees saw it as too costly a financial risk and thought it might jeopardize the College’s finances if it did not attract enough students. However, the trustees mentioned numerous times that their issue wasn’t with the idea of residential renewal itself; in fact, many said it was long overdue.
These same sentiments can be seen in the statement McCormick released in her update email.
“The information I have reviewed, conversations with the senior leadership team and a focus on prudent financial decision-making for the institution have all led me to this decision [to pause the Zimmer Project],” McCormick’s email read. “I am deeply committed to enhancing our College’s residential facilities and I will update you in early 2020 on progress. Our work will end with a plan for long-term and sustainable residential improvement.”
Vice President for Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas elaborated on what the College will be doing in the meantime.
“We are also interested in other efforts related to residential renewal, including existing housing inventory, creating new uses for other current residence halls and exploring additional new housing projects where appropriate,” Limas said.
Schlosser and Royer are two common dorm halls where first-years live. Many first-years’ first impressions of the Etown residential experience come from those halls.
“I had a really great first-year experience, and I think I attach that to Royer,” junior Alex Smith said. “I really like the small lobby and the community feel.”
Junior Ava Framm also mentioned the community feel during her stay in Schlosser and how she befriended the Environmental Services workers who cleaned the building when she lived there.
However, even with the good memories, the two students found issues with their former residence halls.
In fall 2017 the showers on Schlosser 2-West were closed after reports of a discolored ceiling tower and leaks. These showers remained closed for over a month, with 40 female students having to share three showers for that time. This incident helped spark this conversation of residential renewal on campus in these past few years, especially pertaining to Schlosser.
“Seeing how disgusting [the showers] were and how nothing was done about them was a little appalling and ridiculous,” Framm said.
“She [Royer] is a little ugly, she has a weird smell, she’s haunted and the bathrooms are ugly,” Smith said. “Great water pressure, though.”
Smith also shared a story of how when she arrived early for Resident Assistant (RA) training, she walked through Royer and noticed how every room seemed to have inconsistently colored floors: gray, green, tan.
Given the state of the two residence halls, the announcement of the Zimmer Project originally showed promise for a much-needed change, though it also was a little saddening for those who lived there to see the buildings go. However, the announcement that the College may not be following through with the Zimmer Project was equally disappointing to the students.
“It was like, ‘Oh, this is definitely going to happen,’ and then just them saying, ‘Just kidding!’” Smith said. “I think if they are going to promise something, then they should follow through with that promise. It was kind of set in stone, and then they kinda messed it up.”
“If they had a valid reason, then there’s nothing we can really say about it,” Framm said.
McCormick has promised an update in early 2020, though with this discussion of residential renewal being a recurring topic and experiencing another setback, some students are skeptical of what that update will have in store for them.
“They don’t really have a great track record of [following through], so I will believe that they’re doing something when they actually break ground,” Smith said. “They’ve promised things before and nothing’s happened.”
