Nearly two weeks before we started the school year, The New School’s recent addition to the campus, Kerrey Hall at the new University Center, opened its doors. As a dorm enthusiast — someone who enjoys the lifestyle and culture of student housing — I was ecstatic when I received my housing assignment in the beginning of August. I couldn’t wait to move in and explore this new structure I hoped to call “home.”
It has been over a month since I moved into Kerrey Hall and I am still facing difficulties feeling comfortable in my new surroundings. There have been multiple incidences in my short time at Kerrey Hall that has made me question my choice of living in the dorms. Since school has started, no Kerrey Hall residents have had to set alarms in order to wake up for class every morning. Every morning we awake to the distinct sounds of construction rising from the ground floor of our building. What started as a simple buzzing noise has evolved into full on jackhammers — and I live on the 9th floor. Every morning, I cover my head with my pillow or simply get up and leave the building just to get any peace.
In the week following my move-in, I realized that every suite has a white board for a door. A great concept and inventive idea, but I soon learned the downside to this innovation. Around midnight one night, I came home to find a life-sized and anatomically-correct penis (Go Parsons!) plastered across my door. I was both angry and impressed. I was mostly curious as to what security or our RAs do to handle the incident. I soon discovered the answer to my question: there was no action taken or precautions to ensure that it would not happen again. When they nonchalantly asked me if I took a picture of the door before I erased the phallic offender, I responded in anger, “NO.” I wanted to hear how I could prevent this situation from happening again and how to formally file a complaint for future reference. Instead, I received no information and no help.
With a building as large as Kerrey Hall, you would think there would be more efficient ways of getting from floor to floor, especially since a majority of the building is not open yet. But like the slow elevators in every other New School building, Kerrey Hall has failed to improve this problem. There are only three elevators serving the 617 students living in the University Center dorms. Soon after moving in, I decided to time how long the elevator took to arrive at my floor and discovered that the average wait time is 5-7 minutes. Sadly, when the elevator stops on my floor, it is already packed with students. If I have bulky school supplies, I am forced to wait for the next available elevator, otherwise I take the stairs — only when it is clear of construction.
As beautiful as the exterior of the University Center is, the building is not ready — and the New School has finally admitted it. David Howe, the area coordinator of Kerrey Hall, sent an email update last weekend stating, “we are the first occupants of the University Center, which is not even completely finished. We are still completing various types of construction, including the installation of permanent light fixtures in the lobbies, new brass finishings for the elevators, new front doors, and other things.”
When my friends ask me where I live, I’m hesitant to say Kerrey Hall because living there has caused me more stress than comfort. The location of the building is my favorite aspect, but the time it takes me to catch an elevator easily matches the time it took me to walk to school from my last dorm, Stuyvesant Park.
After the past few weeks of disorganization, I hope that in the upcoming months Kerrey Hall, its residents, and its employees learn the ropes and improves its quality. I hope the staff of the building becomes more organized as a routine is developed and information is relayed and carried out in a more functional manner. This is what I believe will create a much better living environment for residents. I’m excited to see the building as its finished product. The New School’s true test will be with the University Center’s planned opening in January.
Tené is a junior majoring in Journalism + Design with a minor in Culture + Minor at Lang. An Atlanta native, she moved to New York City with the desire of pursuing journalism as a career. She enjoys writing about pop culture, music, sports, and wrestling. She hopes to write for a magazine publication one day and ultimately, start her own magazine. Some of her favorite publications are Vibe, Complex, Bleacher Report, and Vice. In her spare time, she likes to listen to music (Kanye West, Rihanna, Aaliyah, Outkast, etc.), shop at thrift stores and American Apparel, and watch reality TV.
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