North College Renovated: Offices Shuffled

By Ike Walker
Editor in Chief

Students making important trips to North College may find that the service they are looking for has moved. In an effort to centralize the departments frequented by students, Physical Plant has reorganized, refinished and recarpeted much of the interior of North College.

According to Robert Saltonstall, director of facilities and construction, the primary impetus behind the changes was to cluster the operations that serve students closer to the ground floor, and to bring related offices such as the dean’s office and financial aid closer together.

The aesthetic of the building’s interior has changed as well.

"Overall I think it looks great compared to how it was before," said Colleen Sheriden ’00, who works in the Financial Aid Office.

The Dean’s Office has moved up one floor and the Financial Aid Office has moved down so that they share the second floor. The Student Accounts Office has moved down to the ground level, where the Office of the Registrar remains.

In the past, the building has been primarily oriented for people entering through the front door facing High Street, but Saltonstall says the current renovations were made to serve the majority of students who enter through the back door.

"One should now be able to go into the lobby and figure out quite easily where to go," he said.

Although there have been fewer departments sharing space in North College since the Admissions Office moved into the Stewart M. Reid House last year, Saltonstall downplayed the role of extra space in the renovation plans.

"Some people have somewhat more space, but that was not a goal of the program," he said.

Students who work in North College see the extra space as one of the biggest changes.

Akile Lyken ’01, who works in the Financial Aid Office, remarked that the space in his department is much less crowded than it was before. According to Lyken, this is a big improvement.

Most of the infrastructure has stayed the same, but Saltonstall says a new air handler has been installed in the building to create better movement and circulation of air through the existing heating and cooling system.

Not all of the changes have been universally embraced.

Sheriden pointed out that the large open door that used to greet students entering the Financial Aid Office has been replaced by a smaller door that remains closed.

"It’s better for the students because Financial Aid is on the second floor now they don’t have to walk up all those stairs," she said. "But the door is a bit of an obstacle."

According to Sheriden, she has been told that the current wood door will soon be replaced by a more inviting glass door.

Most of the renovations in North College are complete, but Saltonstall says that the basement will continue to undergo changes throughout the academic year.