Updated: Oct. 10, 2019 at 9:15 a.m.
Amsterdam Hall residents returning to campus after fall break will find new furniture in their rooms, according to an email sent to residents.
New couches, chairs and tables will be added to each unit’s common room, University spokeswoman Crystal Nosal said. More than 10 Amsterdam residents said the upgraded furniture will make their room feel more comfortable and welcoming to guests.
Residence hall rooms will also receive new kitchen tables and chairs at the beginning of next calendar year, Nosal said. She said the upgrades are part of periodic residence hall updates.
Officials vowed in 2014 to continuously upgrade residence halls on a seven-year cycle. The University doled out $10 million this summer to renovate buildings on campus, like Mitchell and Potomac halls, with new paint and flooring.
“The replacement of existing furniture in Amsterdam Hall had been planned for some time as part of the University’s ongoing commitment to cyclically modernize and upgrade residence halls,” she said in an email.
She said officials from the Campus Living and Residential Education and Division of Operations work together to determine which halls need furniture updates and which items will be replaced.
Officials evaluated the furniture in each Amsterdam room between Sept. 26 and Oct. 4, the email sent to Amsterdam residents states. Furniture like hutches, TV stands and soft seating were visually surveyed to determine which items should be replaced, the email states.
Kevin Lynch, a third-floor resident, said new furniture will “liven up” his room and make the space feel more welcoming to guests. He tried to flip the couch in his room to look cleaner, but the other side was “ripped and gross,” Lynch said.
“Right now, it’s fine but new furniture would make it more welcoming to more people,” he said.
Second-floor resident Kate O’Bryne said she lived in Amsterdam last year, and her couches had large rips in them.
“Last year I lived in this same building and we had a giant hole in them,” Obryne said. “So, sorry for the person who has that room this year.”
Fifth-floor resident Shaena Wright said her couches and chairs are mismatched colors, which makes the room feel disorganized.
“I’ve been into my other friends’ residence halls, like Shenkman and everything, and I feel like their living rooms look very put together,” Wright said. “The furniture is all the same. So I think matching furniture would be nice.”
Wright said she and her roommates would be more likely to invite people over when the new furniture is added because the upgraded seating will make their space more inviting.
“Having a nice living room space would be convenient to relax and do work,” Wright said. “And we will just feel good about it I guess and have people over.”
Fifth-floor resident Max Davidson said he and his roommates didn’t think the University-provided furniture would be enough to accommodate people they frequently host. Each living room in Amsterdam has a loveseat-style couch, which seats two people and two chairs.
“When we first moved in honestly, I didn’t think there was enough,” Davidson said. “We ended up getting a couch from Craigslist. We didn’t think there would be enough seating.”
Heather Nicolai, a third-floor resident, said she’s looking forward to the new additions because her couch has several “giant” holes.
“I’m so happy, because our furniture right now isn’t that great,” Nicolai said. “We had thought about sending in a FixIt, and I think we did send one in to get new furniture. So it was nice to see the email come in.”
Brett Martin, a third-floor resident, said he and his roommates will likely host more parties when the furniture is replaced because new couches and chairs will make the room more “home-y.” He said his current furniture is damaged, which makes hosting people difficult.
“I was excited because the furniture here kind of stinks,” Martin said. “I’ve reached out to FixIt to see if things could be switched out before so it was a nice surprise to hear that we are going to get building-wide furniture.”
This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly attributed information about when furniture upgrades in Amsterdam Hall will take place to a University spokeswoman. The information came from an email sent to Amsterdam Hall residents. We regret this error.
