At the beginning of August, students received an email from the Dean of Students office that announced many changes to campus life with the goal of improving students’ experiences.
In the message, Dean of Students Terry Martinez included new details with regards to updating the health facilities on campus. According to Martinez, the College hopes to see the construction of the new Johnson Student Health Center be completed by mid-semester. Upon opening, students will be able to seek assistance with both mental and physical issues with professional staff members.
The email also announced Hamilton’s efforts to provide students with better access to Counseling Center resources by partnering with a service called BetterMynds. Martinez said that this online network, which offers licensed counselor video-therapy sessions, will allow students to more readily address mental health concerns on campus. This service hopes to assist in supplementing the high demand for mental health counseling services by students at the College.
Additionally, the email announced significant changes to Hamilton’s dining hours and meal plans. Based on student input, the College felt that increasing the dining halls’ hours of operation as well as making each dining option, including the Howard Diner, accessible throughout the day would enhance student life. While Soper Commons dining hall had previously closed at 8:30 PM, its hours have now been extended until 12:00 AM. This will allow students who have late practices, classes, or extra-curriclar commitments more
time to eat, and with more options. In addition, by permitting multiple meal swipes during a single meal period, students can now utilize popular spots like the Diner more often. And, in a move that is sure to be popular with families, any visiting parent now gets to eat for free without requiring a student to use an extra swipe for the meal.
Dean Martinez also addressed the housing issues that occurred at the end of last year. Following complaints regarding the lack of housing options during the normally scheduled lottery for rising sophomores, the College opened additional dorms to accommodate those sophomores left without housing prior to the summer. The College has also opened up new housing for upperclassmen. 95 College Hill Road and 4002 Campus Road were made into apartments for seniors, adding a “veteran” option to those students who desire a less dorm-like setting for their final year. These buildings, which were formerly used as faculty housing, will complement the existing apartment-style housing that exists at Griffin Road and Morris House. Given that they are farther from central campus locations, they will give students greater autonomy as they prepare to graduate.
