Dining hall closure causes
Earhart residents to
transfer
By Elizabeth Eble
Staff
Writer
Current residents of Earhart Residence Hall are
transferring to other halls in response to the planned closing of its
dining hall next year.
The housing contracts, which were turned in March
30, showed about a 60 percent drop in returning residents to Earhart
and reflected residents' complaints about this aspect of the University
Residences’ Food Services construction and renovation master plan.
"Everybody is fleeing Earhart," said
Erin O’Neal, a sophomore in the School of Science and current Earhart
resident. "You want to live someplace where there is food right
there. You don’t want to put on your coat and shoes to walk somewhere."
Sophomore in the School of Science and Earhart
resident Lindsay Elliott agreed.
"I wasn't very happy when I first found out. It
is less convenient," she said.
The administrators of Earhart anticipated the drop
in numbers based on the reaction last year to the announcement of the
closing of McCutcheon Hall's dining hall, said Earhart's manager Elizabeth
Mahan.
"It's disappointing but it's kind of like when
you do remodeling at home. You have to get through the rough stuff to
get to the good stuff," she said. "I know it's a temporary condition."
Due to the increase in transferring residents,
there is less space for incoming freshmen in other halls.
Windsor received more than 70 transfers for next
year, said the manager of Windsor Hall, Wendy Tommas—Dolick.
"We’ll still have a good combination
of freshmen to other students. It’s a pretty good mix of at least
50-50 typically, but those numbers might be a little bit down,"
said Tommas—Dollick.
Incoming freshmen will be forced to fill most of
the 788 spaces in Earhart Hall because only 98 students are returning,
said Mahan.
Purdue administrators sent home a letter notifying
incoming freshmen and their families of the construction of Earhart
Hall.
Mahan said the complaints from incoming freshmen
should be minor because most schools do not offer a dining hall in every
residence hall and freshmen will not be accustomed to that convenience.
She said it will not be a change for them like the way it is for current
residents.
Not all transfers are in response to the construction.
Many students transfer to residence halls that are limited to upperclassmen,
such as Hillenbrand, when they reach their junior year, said Mahan.
Although she said the closing of the dining hall
reinforced her decision, Elliott decided to leave Earhart for a different
reason.
"It was not because of the dining hall, "she
said. "We just wanted to get out of the residence halls."
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