Living in Boston University’s Danielsen Hall has its downsides, said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Lisa Vittorio.
“It’s far away from everything else on campus, it used to not even be on the BU map, there was just an arrow that said Danielsen,” Vittorio, a two-year resident of Danielsen, said, “you have to walk to Myles to eat, our study room is in the basement, the heat is loud and clangy and the hallways can be confusing.”
Even with all of these drawbacks, renovations for Danielsen are far off. Earlier this year the Boston University Task Force suggested renovations for Myles Standish Hall, as well as the construction of a proposed Student Village III, according to a Nov. 17 article published in The Daily Free Press.
These recent proposals are in addition to the ongoing construction of the East Campus Student Center at 100 Bay State Road.
Despite its lack of current renovations, Danielsen is not completely ignored when it comes to refurbishment. According to David Zamojski, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, Danielsen has seen a number of improvements within the last 10 years.
In that time, Zamojski said, the elevators have been modernized, the heating boilers have been replaced and the electrical system has been updated.
“Each year, student rooms are evaluated for painting and carpeting work,” Zamojski said. “The basement lounge, first floor lounge and a new study room were renovated during the last few years.”
He also said that members of the Danielsen Hall Residence Hall Association were consulted while the University was developing a plan for renovating the basement.
“In the winter the walk becomes hell,” said CAS sophomore Hannah Patnaik. “The frats keep you up all the time, and the lack of a dining hall kills me, especially in the winter.
“I do think Danielsen could do with renovation . . . It is an incredibly old building. The heaters have a life of their own – they choose to turn on or off by themselves.”
Despite the drawbacks, students said that Danielsen makes the city more accessible.
“I like how close Danielsen is to the city. It has more of a city feel as opposed to being right smack in the middle of BU,” said Jeanine Ilacqua, a sophomore in the College of Communication.
“I lived in Claflin last year and I felt so far away from my friends who went to school all over the city,” Ilacqua said. “Walking to Boston Common or Newbury Street is much more manageable, and I personally feel like I am more on my own — more independent.”
Patnaik, who is currently living in Danielson for a second year, said that she has been able to explore more of Boston because she does not feel “constrained by the fact that [she] is on campus and has no reason to leave.”
All things considered, Vittorio said that Danielsen receives a worse reputation than it deserves, but that she would be receptive to renovations.
“I think a renovation would be nice, but not very realistic,” she said. “There isn’t enough space to add a dining hall, which is the only thing that we’re really lacking.”
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