Home Campus & Community Jewell Not Freshman Reserved

Jewell Not Freshman Reserved

by Grace Allen

Jewell Hall is the only all-freshman residence hall on Blackburn’s campus. This will change next semester, as it will be the first time non-freshmen will be allowed to room there. Current residents will be allowed to squat (reserve their room over break) and students of any year will be permitted to live in the building. “Percentage-wise, Jewell has had a lot of students choose not to return there after winter break,” said Director of Residence Life Abbey Hardin about the switchover. “We’re at a point in the cycle where we feel, and I think many students feel, first year students could be acclimated more easily to the community if they are interspersed around other students of varying years.”

Secondary education major and Jewell Hall Representative for the lower women’s side Samantha Cranmer said, “Sometimes, it’s a huge mess. I think that’s to be expected of any place that’s full of nothing but people who have probably just been cut loose from their parents for the first time in their lives.” Despite this, Cranmer claimed that her experience in Jewell has been a positive one. “We’re all just one big family here,” she said.

Undecided freshman Jacob “Gilly” Gillis cited the constant barrage of excessive mess fees as his main source of annoyance. “I’m tired of forking over money every time someone puts cereal in the water fountain or urinal,” he said. Gillis believes it would not happen as much if it wasn’t a solely freshman residence hall. Still, he agreed with Cranmer when asked if living in Jewell has been a positive experience, saying, “I love the people here and our family-like atmosphere.”

The same sentiment was echoed by Vice President of Jewell Hall Alex Bergschneider, a freshman computer science major. “I work in Campus Services, so I’ve been to the other residence halls. None of them have the sense of community Jewell has. There’s hardly ever anyone hanging out in the parlors of the other halls. In Jewell, ours is almost never empty. Everyone is friends with everyone,” he said. He did agree with Cranmer and Gillis, acknowledging that “sometimes Jewell can get pretty disgusting.” Bergschneider also mentioned the numerous excessive mess charges and the kitchen that is perpetually closed due to the residents’ inability to clean up after themselves.

Cranmer, Bergschneider and Gillis agreed it would probably be a cleaner and less chaotic environment but worried Jewell may lose some of its family-like cohesiveness. “We all know each other in Jewell,” Cranmer said. “And I think part of what drew us together so quickly was that we were all thrown into this new situation at the same time together.”

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