For those of you back after our summer break, you might notice some changes to residence halls and campus dining halls. Brandeis made a lot of adjustments to various buildings on campus and some are still in process. Her Campus Brandeis was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to get the details from Department of Community Living (DCL) and Brandeis dining.
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There are always adjustments being made to the resident halls on our campus. This summer, the most notable renovation among the upperclassmen was the total revamping of the Foster Mods. DCL told us a little more about the changes to the Foster Mods. “On the outside they received new roofs, windows, and siding.  These changes will make the Mods more energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing.  On the inside they were painted and received new carpet and new energy-efficient lighting.  We also replaced bedroom furniture and kitchen appliances.” Also a nice renovation to come back to in August was the work done in select Ziv buildings. “Ziv 129 and Ziv 130 were also renovated.  They were painted and had new carpet installed.  The bathrooms were overhauled with new showers, sinks, fixtures, and countertops, as well as shelving.  New furniture was installed in the bedrooms.” These changes should make some student’s years easier and leave them knowing that Brandeis’ DCL does make an effort to fix up the dorms every summer.
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For those of you new to Brandeis, the way Usdan looks now is not how it looked last year. This summer’s overhaul of Upper and Lower Usdan is a huge shift from what it looked like the past few years. It is brighter, the stations are more spread out, the seating is a little more comfortable and it actually looks more like a campus cafeteria. Everything is still somewhat under construction in Usdan but once it is finished and some kinks get ironed out, it should be a nice change from what it has been in the past. Across from Usdan, in one of Brandeis’ many Schwartz buildings there has also been some changes. The auditorium, where most students have biology, has been rebuilt, along with a new seminar room and classroom space.
The beloved Stein Pub has also reopened for business newly renovated and remodeled. We can once again go back to getting breakfast food when breakfast truly starts, at 12:00AM.
Brandeis has never failed to amaze us with all the changes students come back to. Some are better received than others but the kinks always manage to get ironed out, it’s just a matter of how long it takes…
For anyone who has stepped foot in the mail room since school began will instantly notice two things. One, mailboxes have been moved and outside the original mailroom perimeter. Two, the mailroom is more crowded than its ever been with a consistently slow moving package line. While administration has promised that staff is working around the clock, the line hasn’t seemed to decrease too significantly.
However, minus the package line, Brandeis is looking pretty great. Total refurbishment of most housing and dining, repaved parking lots and roadways is giving Brandeis a fresh new appearance. We hope you’re enjoying being back on campus!