Okay, so maybe the title of this was a little dramatic because the Crossroads Project is freakin’ awesome. I was in awe when I first read the press release about it; not only are they fixing the stadium but also adding a new gym, new classrooms, new student center, new eateries, and more that had me wishing I was a student at Notre Dame in five years. Now the stadium will be like the strip mall of Notre Dame, I can eat a burger and then go run it off without having to hardly move. It’s perfect.
But then it struck me. Wow, there are so many other things Notre Dame could be doing, and putting it’s money towards, to improve student living that would make a quicker everyday impact. I think Notre Dame should be hundred percent taking care of the things they already have before starting something new. So here are the six things (gifs included) that I think the school should have been making sure were completed before embarking on something huge like Crossroads. And hey with a budget of 400 milz anything’s possible, right?
1. Renovate the Dorms
All you pretentious west quad people can skip to the next paragraph but some of us have had to put up with some sketchy living conditions here. Whether it’s a rampant roach problem, flying bats, double that was once a single, cold showers, or that pesky mold smell- there’s a certain shabby chic feeling that comes along with living in an older dorm. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t mind dropping the shabby all together now or just moving into Ryan. While I know the school currently has a plan in place to make sure all of the dorms eventually are at the same standard of living, I believe it’s only going to be either one or two dorms a year. If you’ve been in the recently redone Lyons you’ll know that the renovation is spectacular and all of the common living spaces are areas you actually want to chill in. Every floor has it’s own kitchen and study space, gussied up the outside, and the main lounge is gorgeously decorated. This has come a long way from the summer I stayed in Lyons and became legitimately concerned that I was breathing in too many asbestos. While I applaud the school for finally realizing that many of the dorms are not $12,000 a year worthy of ponying up, I think they should do all of the dorms in need of an update over a single summer, not over ten years. A quick haul around so that not one future student will need to learn the skill of catching a bat in a pillowcase.
2. Air-conditioning
Why hasn’t anyone looked into this yet? I’m not sure if it’s because central air-conditioning is impossible in some of the dorms due to old construction but I’m sure with 400 million dollars we could figure something out. While it’s hard to imagine it being hot outside, South Bend can get very caliente and I’ve known some people to get serious dehydration from living on the top floors of these dorms. Again, $12,000 a year but no air-condition? Ridiculous. If anything, the school should charge those students less because it’s not fair from a real-estate perspective, or they could just fix it. BAM! Problem solved, no more heat strokes.
3. Rockne
Speaking of air-conditioning they should really spruce up Rockne. While I’ve been told by some that they really enjoy the old boys feel of the gym I do believe that it could use a fix up here and there and everywhere. What’s insane to me is that on hot days they have to shut it down because the lack of air-conditioning makes working out in the building a health hazard. I can now legitimately tell people that I don’t go to the gym because it’s bad for my health.
4. Parking Lots
Maybe I’m just paranoid but the walk from either parking lot to my dorm has always freaked me out when I’m alone. The parking lots aren’t well lit and then the walk is almost completely dark with not much around. I would feel so much safer if they put in some stronger and more consistent lighting with NDSP always patrolling the lot. A girl got mugged in one of the lots last year so hey I’m not crazy. What would be even cooler is if they made a decked parking garage so that not only could it be easily monitored be we also wouldn’t have to dig our cars out of the snow. Win, win!
5. Technology in the Classrooms
While I’m totally for the hilarious white marks that get all over the Professors, I hadn’t actually seen a chalkboard since I was in the third grade that can be found in many of the classrooms at ND. The smartboard has become the standard in many high schools making Notre Dame appear like it’s behind on the technology reach with it’s old school ways. The chalkboard gives the classroom a quaint vibe but I feel that it’s time that every room was outfitted with more advanced technology and that the utilization of tablets during lessons was more of the norm. While they’re adding a digital media center in Crossroads, they should concentrate on getting all of the classrooms done first. You can’t be “the national leader in digital media space” when many teachers still rely on a chalkboard.
6. Give the Stadium a Facelift
There’s no denying that our iconic stadium is need of a nip and tuck. She was looking in the dumps during “Rudy” and she hasn’t gotten any more beautiful in the last twenty years. While I find the outside to look great- I think the field, common areas, seating, and generally everything inside of it is needing some major help. While the women of Notre Dame are known for their practical game-day fashions (sundress and wedges? Pshhaww) I think our stadium could go a long way with a makeover to make the experience of the day just that much better.
I’m sure there’s something that each of us can think of that the school could use their(our?) money towards that would probably cost less and make just as big of an impact on our everyday lives. That’s not to say Crossroads isn’t an awesome idea, just a premature one.
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Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7