This summer, Amstutz Hall, one of several co-ed dorms on campus, will hopefully finish the necessary renovations on the second, third, and fourth floor and also in the lobby area. Ashland University will have a consultant from Chicago, called the Scion Group, come and thoroughly evaluate what exactly needs to be done in order to modernize Amstutz Hall and make it match the previously renovated upper-level floors. The Vice President of Facilities Management and Planning, Rick Ewing, acknowledged how the topic of renovations has been on everyone’s minds, and it is something that individuals are eager to put into effect.

“It comes down to the entire university’s strategic priority. It is something that has been discussed everywhere from Admissions, to the Cabinet, to the Facilities, and to Residence Life. It is a need that we are all very much aware of. The decision regarding when to renovate is largely driven by available dollars,” Ewing said.

The Director of Residence Life, Kim Lammers, acknowledged how students can see the more obvious changes to residential halls such as added amenities, but do not always notice the less obvious additions, such as fixing of the indoor plumbing or adding sprinklers throughout campus.  

“It is easiest to see the visual updates, the “cosmetic” things, but we are always making updates whether it be roofing, safety-systems or apparatuses like that. We are always doing those kinds of updates each year. I know those aren’t as fun, compared to if you see new couches, new flooring, and new everything like that, but it’s important too,” Lammers said.

Lammers noted how AU students have responded positively to the renovations previously made in Amstutz Hall and how students will continue to see significant changes in the dorm.

“I am hopeful that students will like the new [look] if we are approved to have renovations. What I have heard [is that] people definitely like the upper floors of Amstutz. Being with that continuity, I’m confident that students will continue to like that look and like the community aspect that it builds,” Lammers said. 

Ewing described what exactly is involved in the construction process for Amstutz Hall. 

“With Amstutz, what we will be doing is creating a lounge right when you get off [of] the elevator, so we will be taking out two rooms there. We will be providing a laundry room on each floor, we will also be completely renovating the bathrooms with tile floors, tile walls, new fixtures, [making] it all handicap accessible [as well]. We will also be putting new furniture in each room, windows, carpet, and new paint; so basically, the given. We are also hoping to do some renovations in Meyers Hall, particularly with the bathrooms,” Ewing said. 

Freshman Jennifer Kling is a Hospitality Management major and lives on the fifth floor of Amstutz Hall with the Living Learning Community. She said what she would like to see added in Amstutz not only on her floor, but on others as well. 

“A popcorn machine would be cool, and bean bag chairs. There is only one table in the back to study at, so there are not a lot,” Kling said. 

Lammers explained that if Amstutz Hall does finish the much-needed renovations like the upper floors, it is all about timing and money-lots of it. 

“Well, I guess that is going to come out of our study with the Scion Group and seeing how they would advise us and what makes the best economical sense for our institution, and what makes sense for our students. I’m not going to say that we are going to build ‘Taj Mahal’s’ and leave other buildings that still need a little TLC behind; I would like to see them all slowly have these improvements and upgrades. It is going to be a process [over the] years, it definitely will not be a one or two year thing,” Lammers said. 

Ewing noted that the Amstutz project will take a lot of time and hard work, although these are necessary changes that individuals will come to enjoy when everything is said and done. 

“I am just excited that we are able to do something; from the facilities world, we are very aware of the deficiencies that our buildings have. Buildings get old and they age, so it takes a constant effort to keep them looking nice. We are that point, where many of our buildings are hitting [their] fifty-year mark,” Ewing said.

The renovations for Amstutz Hall are not 100 percent bound to happen; until Ashland University sells the bonds they had recently been authorized to sell, big changes cannot occur overnight. Renovations take time as well as a generous amount of money to make the magic happen. Although if any renovations occur, Ewing and Lammers plan to finish Amstutz Hall first and possibly Meyers Hall as well. As much as both Ewing and Lammers would like to see all of the dorms renovated, it is just not realistic at this point and time. Renovations are a lengthy process that will occur over the span of the next five to twenty years. First, the university needs to be able to afford the accommodations for each residential hall. Second, the university is on a specific budget. Ewing explained how himself and his team are going to go about renovating Amstutz Hall and how this hopefully, will be possible.

“Specifically, what we are looking at for the summer has come out of refinancing of our university debt. There are bonds being issued to basically refinance that debt, and it was a priority of the Board of Trustees to make renovations part of that refinancing,” Ewing said.

With sports-related camps and Christian camps occupying all of the dorms over the entirety of the summer, Ewing and his team of designers will begin construction the Monday after graduation. They will have to work efficiently, stay focused, and keep their main goal in mind: to have Amstutz Hall renovated by early August for students returning to campus in the fall.