EastDormRenovation

Add suggestions here for what you'd like to see in the dorm renovations. At least some serious ones would be nice.

Outdoors

• cover for funball pit
  • possibly some work done inside the pit itself, but don't get rid of it.
• install a new fire pit
  • trim trees?
    • Be careful what you wish for... (poor hummingbird)
• additional bike rack(s)
  • We're actually working on that right now; F&M has one on order and it will be installed when it comes in. -Leslie
• fix huge cracks in courtyard
• fix roof so it doesn't pour water on bikes (see area near dorm bars)
• fix/replace benches
• More outdoor electrical outlets

Lounge

• Window looking into the lounge from upstairs backhall.
  • Not a fan, think about just how noisy this would make backhall.
• Superlouch.
  • Or not
  • In favor.
  • Ladder for current louch?
    • Please?
• Replace switches with dimmer switches for lights in lounge (to enable low lighting for movies and such)
  • I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. Dimmable fluorescents aren't cheap, as I understand it.
• A way to open/close lounge windows that doesn't require AlanKraut
• Roof-mounted high-gain TV antenna for OTA HD signals
  • Alternately: safe, high mounting in the lounge for the kind of antenna we have now. Away from walls would be good.
• Non-crappy cable TV feed
  • I suspect this is mostly the price we pay for basic analog cable
  • I recall the dorm rejecting this at a meeting last year (Spring 2007), so perhaps this should be revisited?

Internet

• 802.11g wireless coverage of the rooms
  • This probably needs some cooperation from CIS
  • Seconded - can't always get wireless in many rooms
• gigabit ethernet
  • Did West get this? My understanding was that wall space is just too tight to allow for it.
    • I don't think so, but West ethernet is really, really fast. --SkyeBerghel
      • In comparison to...?
        • East ethernet and HMC wireless.
    • I believe that west got one gigabit port/room in exchange for only having three ports total, not four. --BenJencks
      • Can you elaborate? I'm confused. Don't most dorm rooms have 2 active ports only? And do you mean that one person in a double gets giga, and the other gets screwed? :) --AndrewHunter
        • I've spoken with Roger about this - the conduits have 4 10/100 cables running through them now - the other two ports in your room can be 'lit up' if you want them (they can also be 'lit up' for CINE, if you have a wireless router). Gigabit cables are about twice the size, so in West they have 2 10/100 and a gig-e. Gig-e switches cost about $50, or else, yes, one RoomMate will have faster ethernet than the other. Don't know about singles. My own speculation: if we don't like the 2 10/100 + gig-e idea, perhaps we can get them to install more/bigger conduits? -RichardBowen
          • Installing more/bigger conduits would require tearing down the dorm, as I understand it.
            • Probably true--I hear the walls between rooms are chicken wire and plaster, but load-bearing.
              • Anyone else find the phrases "chicken wire and plaster" and "load-bearing" to be disturbing when used together?
• Fiber to the room (with possible conversion box to provide ethernet)
  • It is not as crazy as it sounds. After all, it would mean that we would
    • a) fiber lines are generally smaller than cat-5 (diameter) meaning that it would be an easy install.
    • b) if they really wanted to they could do fiber to the room, and then a converter at each room to provide standard ethernet for those with laptops.
    • c) have very fast internet/network if we wanted it.
    • d) it would mean that the school would have to do no upgrading of our networking for a fair while, a fiber line has more bandwidth then we can use for a fair while to come.
  • After all, Olin has it, and I feel that we should to. It would solve all our speed worries certainly. (yes I am aware that if we wanted to use such we would need a fiber networking card for our computers)

Bathrooms

• separate switches for the bathroom light and the bathroom fan
• Better ventilation in bathrooms.
• Extra towel bar in bathroom
• A shelf in the bathrooms
  • In the shower or outside of it?
    • In it.
• Higher-up showerheads (they are way too low right now)
• More hot water
  • Relatedly, a water heater that doesn't cause the BoilerSuite floor to vibrate or radiate would probably be good.
• Low flow shower heads? I know not everyone likes this idea; perhaps there's some way to make it optional?
  • The system installed in my Sontag suite (F&M's hardware, we haven't replaced anything) lets the user control temperature and water flow independently. This lets us dramatically cut down water usage (by stopping flow when lathering, etc) without having to retune temperature every time.
    • Seconded. It makes no sense to have the two connected, especially since you then have to turn on the water via the coldest temperature.
  • If we get these, can we make sure the water pressure out of them isn't Epic Fail?
• Toilet flushes that don't use as much water and don't make as much noise.
• a way to prevent getting locked out of the bathroom? If the doorknobs had push locks on the inside with a way to unlock them from the outisde?
  • some westies have modified their doors to do this...
• Brighter lights; light over the toilet?

General

• built- in air conditioning/heating (like West)
  • with temperature control (like West)
    • but preferably with a >4 degree temperature range (unlike west)
  • current heaters are slowly dying...
  • especially for lounge (too cold in winter if doors are open, too hot during parties)
• Keep large desks.
  • Seconded
  • Thirded. The ability to loft a bed on top of a desk is awesome.
  • Fourthed
  • Fifthed
  • Sixthed
  • Seventhed
  • Eighthed. Big desks were a huge influence on my choice of East over Case quads last spring.
    • Ninthed, and put them (and the entire standard furniture kit) in rooms that currently don't have them.
• Desk chairs that rock back (like those in West)
• Replace, or do a severe cleaning of the carpeting in rooms and lounge
• Separate light switches for lights on either side of the room.
  • this is also like West (that way each roommate has his/her own overhead light, so only half the room is lit if one roommate is sleeping)
• fix windows so they open/close sans hammer
  • Also, if possible make them more insulated.
• More electrical outlets in rooms, particularly near windows. As it stands, plugging in air conditioners sometimes requires an extension cord.
  • Probably a moot point. If West can get AC, I'd be shocked if East can't.
    • Regardless, the electrical outlets can be rather inconvenient. More would still help.
    • Or rather, in more convenient locations (ie, not all along one wall).
      • Specifically, more outlets near the floor, so we don't have cords hanging all over.
• More washers and dryers if possible
• Doors that block more noise and don't rattle.
  • Windows that block more noise.