With the new year off to a start, there are many changes coming to University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. One of the most major changes being made this year at UWL is the renovation of Laux Hall.  

The Department of Residence Life will be renovating Laux Hall during the spring and summer of 2019. This year the renovations occurring in Laux Hall will add $75 to the yearly rate, according to the La Crosse Tribune. 

The project involves updating electrical wiring, installing a fire sprinkler system, and completely remodeling the Laux Hall community bathrooms. This renovation will improve the safety systems within the residence hall and provide more private and accommodating bathroom facilities, according to the UWL website.  

“It was difficult to finally make the decision that we had to move forward on renovation despite the fact that we are inconveniencing a good number of our students. Our halls need to be updated for future students, but it is hard to do so when you are consistently over occupancy as we are. I just have to keep telling myself that this is necessary for our future,” said UWL Director of Residence Life, Jacque Bollinger. 

Due to the renovations taking place in the spring semester it was difficult for many students who were assigned to live in Laux Hall in the fall semester to move out into a new dorm. “We tried to honor preference of buildings and whether or not they wished to move with a roommate when it was possible,” said Bollinger. 

There were many students that were transferred at the last minute out of Laux Hall before the school year had started, leaving many students anxious and upset. “I had no idea what my dorm was going to be like. I felt like everyone had already contacted their roommates and I didn’t know who mine were until August. There was a lot of unknown going into college already and that added extra stress,” said UWL freshman, Gwen Bellmore. 

Despite many students being inconvenienced, the Department of Residence life tried to convey information regarding the transfer sincerely. “We were open and honest in our communication of our plans for renovation and a mid-semester move. I believe just like the students in any of our other residence halls, the Laux students connected with the people they were living with,” said Bollinger. “They became a community and were reluctant to leave a comfortable and safe living situation,” Bollinger added. 

Laux Hall is the first of eight residence halls approved by the State Building Commission. White Hall will be the next dormitory to be renovated beginning in the spring of 2020. The improvements will be funded by fees that student residents pay.