Ceremony showcases improved, updated Willkie

Willkie Quad was officially rededicated Thursday in a ceremony that included speeches by University officials and a tour of the newly remodeled residence hall.\nIU President Myles Brand, Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis and Associate Vice Chancellor Bruce Jacobs all spoke at the event, which was attended by more than 200 people. \nKenji Minami, a junior and Willkie president, said he was pleased with the event.\n"It went really well," Minami said. "We had a great reception, we highlighted all the newest features, like the auditorium. It was great." \nMinami said he hopes the interest in Willkie will lead University officials to expand Willkie's features into other dorms on campus. \n"Willkie is an experiment," he said. "We want them to look at Willkie as a model for the future, but for now, it's unique." \nJacobs acknowledged that the success of Willkie will be important to the future of housing on campus.\n"We will study Willkie to see how it has been successful and what we can improve," he said. "We will also look at what other types of housing we can offer. This process will always involve students, faculty and staff."\nBrand stressed that on-campus housing is one of the most important services offered by IU.\nBecause students on campus tend to perform better academically, it's important to offer services that students want that also fit within the academic mission of the University, he said. By offering new, updated services, on-campus housing can appeal to a wider range of students.\nBut for Willkie, officials were trying to attract a specific group of students.\nPatrick Connor, executive director of Residential Programs and Services, said the renovations at Willkie were specifically meant to appeal to upperclassmen, and many of the services at Willkie were added with upperclassmen in mind, such as private bathrooms and high-speed Internet connections.\nJacobs said such amenities were very successful in attracting students.\n"It was felt that the design should be one that upperclass students would find attractive," he said. "The marketing committee supported the position. Therefore, Willkie was designed to attract upperclass students and has been successful doing just that."\nPamela Sprong, assistant director of RPS, added that one of the reasons older residence halls did not appeal to upperclassmen was because they were outdated.\n"Willkie was redesigned to better meet the lifestyles and standards of living of students today as opposed to students of the 1960s," she said. "It provides more privacy and independence for the students who live there, as well as updated amenities."\nThe renovated Willkie offers more than 600 rooms with semi-private bathrooms and several two- and three-bedroom suites and apartments. The dorm has security cameras, as well as a computer cluster, library, convenience store, classrooms and a lounge area.\nThe renovations took a year and a half to complete and cost $26 million.