The presence of Elm and Alumni Hall have altered the housing options for all students. Freshmen can’t wait to dorm in Alumni Hall and upperclassmen either want to reside in the Townhouses or Elm Hall. The other buildings, Martin Hall and North Hall, went from being the only residence halls on the Pleasantville Campus to the last choices in living arrangements.

Between Martin and North, I’d consider North to be the least desirable of the two. North is all the way on the other side of the campus, has communal bathrooms, spider webs all over, and the most recent problem is that there are no televisions in the lounges. Every residence building, on this campus that has lounges, has televisions. Although students probably have TV’s in their rooms when in a lounge you want something there that’s going to occupy you for the time you’re in there. Your cellphone can only entertain you for so long, after a while, you’ll get bored with looking at your phone because you do it most of the day and you might want to change screens.

Having a TV in the lounge will draw people to the lounge. Yes, there will be peace and quiet in the lounge but that’s only good for studying and doing homework. What happens when students want to go in there and hangout? Or if there is a show that a lot of individuals want to binge watch on a television screen bigger than their own.

Let’s take into account the fact that when RA’s have events, they need to structure it to where they have no TV as an asset to make things interesting and to keep residents involved. Another scenario can come when family visits their college kids and the room is packed and overcrowded. The only other place to sit and wait will be in the lounge. Now let’s say the student has been in their room for a long time, and the family is just sitting there looking at each other. A TV would be the best way to keep them occupied.

TV’s are a necessity of life, whether we think it is or not. People need TV to learn, to stay informed, and to be entertained. There needs to be TV’s in those lounges and I guarantee you once there are, there will be a lot of happy North Hall residents. It can open up the door for more student interactions.