Many students have spent at least a little bit of time in one of the two freshmen dormitories on camps – Towers and Singular. Despite being so close together, the two complexes have many differences between them. Some of these differences are good in the eyes of their residents, and some of them aren’t so good. But these differences give rise to the question, which of them is the better dorm?
The competition begins with their history, as told by Wade Redeker, director of Residential Life. He said Singular was constructed in 1959, while Towers was built in 1971. In addition, Towers has had recent renovations, with work being completed in 2006 and 2007.
Brian Mosier, freshman mathematics major, said this is a point in Towers’ favor.
“I’d say Towers is a little bit nicer,” Mosier said. “They’ve got sinks (in their rooms) and they’ve been renovated more recently.”
In fact, it was the dorms’ ages that kept Jackie Blackwell, freshman elementary major and a resident of Towers, out of Singular.
“I liked the Towers because they’re newer,” Blackwell said.
While Towers may one-up Singular in the age department, Singular does have something that Towers does not. That is, according to Mosier, a lower price for living. The rooms, too, he said, are a little bit bigger.
The two buildings also differ greatly in terms of the layout and condition of their bathrooms – more specifically, their showers.
Mosier lives in Singular and said that the one thing he’d change about the building as a whole is the size of the showers, as they are, he said, “tiny.”
Laura Braun, freshman undecided major and a resident of Towers, confirmed their showers are superior to Singular’s.
“We have a door on our showers rather than the curtain,” Braun said, although the size difference is not vast.
The two buildings differ the most in the state of their hallways and leisure areas. Braun and Mosier both said Singular does not have a lobby for students to gather.
“We have learned that residents would like lounges on each floor of Central Morse and Singular Hall,” Redeker said. “These spaces were not developed when the buildings were originally constructed.”
When these spaces will be developed is not clear just yet, but the desires of students are not going ignored.
“We are currently considering options which might address this concern on some floors within those facilities,” Redeker said.
There are other small improvements students would like to see. Blackwell, for example, said she would like to see renovations so that two adjacent rooms could share a bathroom. However, there was unanimous appreciation for the closeness encouraged by both Towers and Singular alike.
“You’re close to everyone,” Blackwell said. “If you have friends, you can just go hang out with them.”
In fact, Mosier doesn’t even mind very much that Singular lacks a lobby, as students from both buildings gather in the Towers lobby.
“It brings everybody together,” Mosier said.
And that, regardless of architecture or pros and cons, is a point in all students’ favor.
