Rebert Upgrades Improve First-Year Living
ebert Hall or Rebert South in particular, as many at St. Lawrence University, have come to know as “the dirty South”, along with the rest of the dorm, is undergoing some substantial changes. It is the latest in a series of major facilities updates mainly focused on first-year dorms.
Right now, Rebert Hall is not housing any students as the entire building is being renovated. The South wing is largely complete and is continuing swift progress week by week. It has been almost completely redone, and the color scheme of the entire building is now a light bluish-gray giving it a more “modern” look. Each room has also been redone, some highlights include new lights with a dimming switch, new doors, and double the number of outlets as before in each room!
Another major feature of the dorms is the new carpeting throughout the entirety of Rebert Hall. Each floor has a hydration station, and bathrooms on each floor have also been entirely redone! The tiling follows the same color scheme as the rest of the building, along with each bathroom having redone showers allowing for more privacy. In addition to all of this, each wing has a large first-floor lounge, along with an upper-floor lounge on either the second or third floor of the building to create a common area and gathering space for first years to better acquaint themselves with their community. Lighting across the dorm is also new, with LED lighting to create a brighter, more welcoming atmosphere.
In the past, the center section of Rebert Hall has been just a narrow hallway connecting the North and South wings. With the new renovations planned, the central hallway has been completely redone, tearing out some walls to widen the central hallway and creating some more entrances to the building to connect Rebert Hall better to the back half of campus by the Whit Pit.
Once complete, this new central section of the building will feature a gas fireplace with a TV above it, comfortable seating all around, and a centralized table section with stools surrounding it allowing for a fun area for people to come and socialize. In this central section also will be a fully ADA-accessible bathroom for those who may need it.
Finally, the front side of Rebert Hall is set to also be renovated with some landscaping work, outdoor seating, and some string lights to create a nice, and atmosphere for students to gather outside when the weather is nice.
While there is no firm set timeline for the completion of the entire building, residents of the South wing are set to be notified soon when completion is close, and as the weeks continue the work team is set to work on coming up with more solid goal dates for completion.
A big thank you to Christopher Marquart, Associate Dean of Student Life and Student Engagement, for taking me on a tour of the ongoing construction of Rebert Hall and filling me in on all the exciting plans for Rebert Hall.
Much excitement is coming for facilities, and Rebert Hall should prove to be a great dorm for current first-years, and incoming first-years for years to come.