Wright Hall closed for year-long makeover

By Nursyafiqah Wan

Wright Hall, the Lawrenceville campus’s all-female residence hall, will close for the 2017-18 school year, facilities announced.

The building is in need of a serious face-lift, said Vice President of Facilities and University Operations Mike Reca.

“In keeping with Rider’s plan to provide upgr

ades to older residence halls, Wright Hall was the next in line to be renovated,” he said. “This project was the next logical step in the process, in collaboration with student affairs.”

Reca said the administration is committed to continuing to enhance residence halls to provide the best possible on-campus experience for students.

“We know that several of our halls require refurbishing, and we are addressing those issues as funding becomes available,” Reca said.

Freshman biology major Olesya Iosipchuk, who has lived in Wright for the past seven months, was saddened by the temporary closing of the hall. She enrolled at Rider in August 2016, and the room was warmer than she had anticipated, especially with no air conditioning.

Iosipchuk said she likes Wright because it houses female residents only. She said it is always clean and quieter in comparison to other halls. She thinks that the relocation of the residents will affect the female community on campus.

Junior business administration major Cathy Reyes-Gallardo and her roommate Michelle Belain, a sophomore arts administration major, also live in Wright.

“I chose Wright Hall not only because it is comfortable, but it does have a different atmosphere than living in a coed hall,” Reyes-Gallardo said.

Belain shared her love for the residence hall.

“It is close to almost everything,” she said. “We have the Student Recreation Center literally one minute away, we have the library up front, and we also have the academic buildings nearby. My room was in pretty good condition although we had some minor issues with the bathroom, but the facilities staff resolved it pretty quickly.”

Belain agreed the management decision is for the better.

“I think that if Rider offers better resident areas, more students will choose to stay on campus for their college experience,” Belain said. “Students will feel that they have taken into consideration our opinions, and we can see that they want the best for their students’ experience at Rider.”

Reca feels the improvements will only enhance public perception of Rider.

“Rider already has an excellent reputation as an institution and these upgrades are intended to enhance the student experience on campus,” he said.

Wright Hall’s renovation will begin this upcoming September and will include new fixtures, flooring, counters, toilets and showers. In addition to making the residents live more comfortably, the plans include paint jobs and improved lighting. Current and future residents can expect their rooms to have electrical upgrades and individually controlled heating and air conditioning units.

Gee Hall was also closed down last year because of upgrades that will be completed this August. Reca mentioned that management is currently working on upgrading the electrical service in both Ziegler and Hill Hall, so students should expect air conditioning units to be provided for the Fall 2017 semester.