Student tackles make over project in residence halls
Maria Schuster noticed when she first visited Rocky Mountain College that, while the admissions office was inviting and attractive, the older residence halls were not as welcoming. Accompanying her on the tour, her mom joked that maybe she could remodel them someday. That someday came when Maria moved into
Anderson Hall. She and her roommate, Nizhoni Robinson, sat in the rarely-inhabited lounge and imagined how it could embody the colleges sense of community. Maria presented a plan to the student senate to do a make over of the lounge. The student senate provided $1,500. That amount wouldnt go far, she knew, but it was a beginning. Recruiting other student volunteers and donations, she organized repainting and refurbishing that transformed the lounge into a warm, colorful and inviting space. Soon it was full of people -- studying, playing games, and having birthday parties. That success resulted in a demand to make over the larger Anderson/Widenhouse connecting lounge. The make over was more exhaustive, including building a new fire place. It took five months, but it was open in time for school to begin. When I think back to these projects I still cannot believe that I was able to complete them with my limited time, skill and resources, but this was exactly the spirit that drew me to Rocky, she said.
