Eigenmann celebrates anniversary

Students, alumni and administrators are invited to a celebration from 6-7:30 p.m. today at Eigenmann Hall to commemorate the residence hall's 30th anniversary.\nThe event will be a chance to learn about the history of Eigenmann and meet former students and officers, said sophomore Hope Marasco, Eigenmann Residents Association vice president of programming.\nThe celebration will include jazz musicians, hors d'ouevres, the a cappella group Delusions of Grandeur and speeches from senior Dietrich Willke, Eigenmann president, and Bruce Jacobs, associate vice chancellor.\nWillke said the 30th anniversary will be a memorable event and "a proud moment." Eigenmann's residents and its history were two of the reasons he chose to live there, he said.\n"Eigenmann has this natural flavor of diversity," Willke said. "You have sororities, graduate students, freshmen, out-of-state and international students all living together in one building."\nThe construction of Eigenmann Hall was completed in 1969, Willke said, and the official dedication ceremony took place in 1970. The building was designed by Rollin McLaughlin.\nEigenmann Hall is coed and air-conditioned. It offers the Market Place dining facility, a music practice room, an exercise/weight room, darkroom, library, computer cluster and laundry facilities, according to Residential Programs and Services.\nEigenmann is the only dorm that has never closed during breaks, Willke said.\n"Eigenmann remained open, giving a home to thousands of students during every day of the year," he said.\nThe hall was built for graduate and international students, said Patrick Connor, RPS director. But through the years, its residents have resembled the population of the other dorms more and more, he said.\nFreshmen began living in Eigenmann in 1998, and half of the floors were reserved for them, Willke said. This year, only three floors are for students older than 21.\nThe first student government of Eigenmann was the Graduate Resident Association Council. Recently the name was changed to Eigenmann Residents Association, but Eigenmann has never been a part of Residence Halls Association, Willke said.\nMarasco said one characteristic she likes about Eigenmann is the hall's uniqueness.\n"The social dynamic is changing -- the makeup is changing," she said. "You get a really good range of students, a really unique group of students"