Plattsburgh State will be different when students return to campus in the fall.
For the next academic year, Moffitt Hall will not be housing students. Assistant Director of Residence Life Jim Sherman said there will be many changes in the layout compared to what the building looks like currently.
“They are adding two lounges to the floors, so it is going to open up the space,” Sherman said. “One is going to be a study lounge.”
Residence hall director in Moffitt Hall and graduate student Chris Broere, said the new mail center is going is going to be more accessible to students.
“I am really excited,” Broere said. “It’s going to be a brand new building, and there is going to be a lot of good energy.”
Sherman also said the first floor is going to open up considerably. In addition, there will be an interfaith prayer room located on the first floor.
“It is going to look very different than the other two,” Sherman said, referring to the last two renovated high-rise buildings, Hood Hall and deFredenburgh Hall.
In addition to the renovations in Moffitt, Hawkins pond will be reopened, and Mason Hall will house residents and a new and improved mail system and center.
Sherman said Mason Hall will be the central location of all of the mail coming in and out of residence halls on campus. It will run similarly to any other post office.
“It is going to allow students to get their mail almost 24 hours a day, and for the most part they’ll get their packages almost 24 hours a day depending on the size of the package,” Sherman said.
The mail system that is currently in place has many chances for error in delivery. Mail goes through a system of sorting at different locations on campus before it gets to its desired location.
Sherman said the housing office has a difficult time tracking down mail when it is directed to the wrong building.
“This allows someone who is on campus to have one mailbox the entire time they live on campus,” Sherman said.
“Even if they move, they will have the same mailbox.”
For the remaining mailrooms, they will become primary offices of the buildings, which resident assistants will be staffing during duty times.
“It saves money for the school, a lot of money,” employee of Kent Hall’s mailroom Llaney Hernandez said. “I know where they are going with it, but it sucks.”
After Hernandez was notified of the new system being put in place, he had to start looking for another on-campus job for his senior year.
“It’s going to be a hassle during the winter time,” Hernandez said. “People want to get their stuff, but they also don’t want to be walking in the cold. It’s going to be a huge traffic jam, I can see it already.”
Email Lisa Scivolette at lisa.scivolette@cardinalpointsonline.com
