In an age where the computer is king, we rely on electronic aid at every turn. The speed and efficiency of the cyber realm is uncontested, so it’s no surprise that it has become the main weapon in the quest to clarify even the most daunting of life’s challenges. Dorm selection is no exception.
As most returning students know, dorm selection is largely an online process. Outside of the occasional walking tour for prospective lodgers, all of the steps can be completed from the warmth of your trusty laptop.
This year’s fun starts the Monday after Spring Break. According to Sean Berthold, assistant dean for housing services, that’s when deposit collection will begin. An investment of $200 will earn you a place in the housing hunt for 2009-2010. Payment during this time is strongly advised, as it “ensures computer activation of an assignment time,” Berthold said.
For those who are new to Marquette or to living in reality, this may be news. Others may know the process well. Either way, don’t be quick to dismiss dorm selection as another task that can disappear from your “to do” list with the click of a mouse. That would be the easy way out.
There’s something to be said about leaving high-tech security blankets behind and doing a little old-fashioned investigation. Savvy house hunters might benefit from hearing some little-known facts about the history of Marquette’s dorm buildings.
Abbottsford Hall was formerly Abbottsford Apartments, a privately-owned apartment building, said Thomas Jablonsky, professor of history and director of the Institute for Urban Life. Perhaps that explains the luxurious layout of its rooms.
Jablonsky said that Carpenter Tower was once a hotel owned by the Catholic Knights Insurance Company and Cobeen, formerly the LaSalle Hotel, once hosted a Nat King Cole performance. Mashuda’s past included time as the Coach House Motor Inn, at which the Beatles had an overnight stay in 1964. It was also the Holiday Inn-Central at one point, he said.
Many students know that Straz Tower was once the YMCA for Milwaukee, which Jablonsky verified.
Wondering about the densely populated object of our affection? “McCormick was originally designated Dormitory #1,” Jablonsky said, “although it was not the first dormitory on campus by any stretch of the imagination.”
Michelle Sweetser, archivist in Raynor Memorial Libraries, confirmed that Chris Farley was a former occupant of both McCormick and Schroeder Halls, finally lending credibility to those stories that swirl around campus.
The remaining dorms were built for their current purpose. Jablonsky said that O’Donnell Hall, like Schroeder, was built as a dormitory. O’Donnell wasn’t always brimming with testosterone, though. He said it was originally built to house female students after the land was donated by the Association of Marquette University Women.
The past of these properties is not as illustrious as those in the Hollywood Hills, but it’s still interesting enough. There is something to be found in looking to the past.
Sweetser said this “allows us to contextualize our decisions for the future,” so we’re better able to understand “how ideas currently under consideration do or do not make sense in light of what we learned.” This applies to dorm selection too. Can you see yourself in one of these places?
If you’re not into history and prefer to keep up with the up-and-coming, there’s still hope. The future brings another change to dorm life at Marquette.
Berthold confirmed that “Marquette Suites is the proposed name of the new co-ed residence hall that will house approximately 230 sophomore students beginning this August.” It will be located on the property that was formerly home to Sweeney’s College Books, Marquette Apartments and Ziggie’s Restaurant.