North Hall, one of the Pleasantville Campus’s five residential buildings was closed in the summer last year, with no foreseeable plans for its future. Today, the building remains closed off to students but is supposedly being used for office space by faculty.
The dormitory was closed due to a lack of student interest. Only 41 students applied to live in the building that is meant to hold 200. This lack of interest led to those who did choose North to be relocated. Those 41 students were given notice via email in mid-July, a month before they were scheduled to move in, that they would not be housed where they initially thought.
Not only did the relocation impact students assigned to live in North Hall for the 2024-2025 school year, but it also affected resident assistants who were assigned to oversee North Hall. Those six students were also moved into different residential buildings.
After conducting a survey targeted at students who were relocated from North to other buildings, the consensus was overall dissatisfaction.
When asked what building they were relocated to, 83% of participants responded with Martin Hall, and the remaining 17% were relocated to Alumni Hall, which typically only houses first-year students.
Not only was the building change a problem, but room changes also posed an issue for students.
In the August 1 report by The Pace Chronicle, Sean Coughlin, Vice President of Public Affairs, stated, “The 41 students being reassigned from North Hall will be offered the same kind of room — at the same cost — as they were already assigned.”
However, only 33% of survey participants were assigned to a room similar to what they had initially been given. 67% were assigned to a different kind of room.
Students had grievances about many things, but living conditions as well as parking seemed to be a common issue amongst relocated students.
When asked their biggest grievance with the relocation process, one student stated: “Very frustrated I was relocated; the living situation is similar but not the same. The housing conditions in North are much nicer and cleaner; you are able to rearrange the room as you please, but in Martin, it’s given, and you have to deal with it. That’s not even close to the frustration I have been experiencing with parking. There are about 20 spots max behind Martin as opposed to two parking lots behind North. The parking is CRUCIAL. I’ve been having to walk across
campus after I park my car, and up 4 flights of stairs when I get to Martin.”
Though the closure of North Hall led to many difficulties, one resident’s assistant who was supposed to be operating out of North Hall shared how the experience helped him grow in his role. Niels Callewaert had plenty to say about his experience.
“As a first-year RA, I remember the unsettling news that North Hall was going to be closed—it was a moment of uncertainty and worrying. We were left with little information initially, unsure about where we would be reassigned or how our roles as RAs would be affected. Fortunately, the university stepped in and handled the situation with care and efficiency. They relocated us to available rooms in Alumni Hall, which provided some much-needed stability in an otherwise chaotic moment. Although our job descriptions shifted significantly compared to the
responsibilities of a more traditional RA, we were still given the tools and support to learn the role and contribute wherever we were needed. It was a steep learning curve, but one that taught us adaptability and resourcefulness.”
Callewaert continued: “After my first semester, I was given the opportunity to move to the townhouses to fill a vacancy left by an RA who had transferred to another school. It was here that I truly felt like I came into my own, standing out as a confident and seasoned RA. The new environment allowed me to apply everything I had learned and rise to the challenges of this new chapter. Looking back, despite the unusual start and the uncertainty of those initial weeks, everything fell into place. While we didn’t begin with the same roles as a typical RA experience, we emerged stronger, equipped with even more life skills than we might have gained otherwise. The journey was unconventional, but it shaped me into a resilient leader, and I wouldn’t trade those lessons for anything.”
Though the insight of a relocated resident assistant and numerous relocated students is known, many questions remain about the future of North Hall. How will the school continue to make use of the space? Will North Hall serve as a residential building once again, or will it continue to collect dust except for a few offices? At this time, there is plenty of uncertainty about when these answers will come to be answered. What remains is hope for a revival of the once active North Hall.