Co-Written by Margaret Harris

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once remarked that true riches lie not in hoarding wealth, but in giving much for the benefit of others. Southwestern University’s $120 million dollar investment in campus renovations certainly comes off as rich in a “Kierkegaardian” sense, with plans to greatly improve the liberal arts educational experience for its students both in and out of the classroom. The most recent fruits of this investment have been the new, state-of-the-art residence halls constructed on campus: Ella Sedwick Hall and Jesse Daniel Ames Hall. But what is life like inside these halls? Does the outer glamour reflect what’s beyond the modern glass doors? Two residents, Will Stevenson ‘28 and Margaret Harris ‘29, are here to tell it all. 

Ella Sedwick Hall is centrally located next to McCombs campus center, while the Jesse Daniel Ames Hall is adjacent to the new Dorothy Perry White Welcome Center on the east side of campus, next to the current but soon-to-retire freshmen dorms. The former is named after campus legend Ella Sedwick, who has worked with global food services companies Aramark and Sodexo for over twenty years, helping to bring delicious food and joyful smiles to all our faces. The latter is named after 1902 SU graduate and civil rights activist Jesse Daniel Ames, who fought in the women’s suffrage movement and founded the Association of Southern Women to Prevent Lynching in 1930, which aimed to dispell racial hatred against black men and women that occurred on the grounds of protecting white women.

New residence halls are a long time coming for the Southwestern campus. The opening of these new dormitories marks the closure of two others–Ruter Hall and Clark Hall. Clark, which was renamed from Kurth Hall in 2020 after the university’s first African American graduate, opened in 1962. It historically housed all-girls, only shifting to accommodate co-ed student needs after the sudden mid-year closure of its next-door neighbor, Mabee, over mold concerns. Clark, which was connected to Mabee, was widely known around campus over the past year for hypothetical mold problems of its own. Ruter, named after a central founding figure in the school’s history, has stood since 1955 as an all-boys dorm–and a valuable source of campus legend.

The exterior of these buildings certainly fit the prestige of their namesakes, with sleek black tiling and white, limestone brick making up the bulk of the exterior designs. As second-year Ella Sedwick resident Jonathan Martin remarked, “My favorite colors are the little hints of black on the outside of the building. Top tier.” Indeed Jonathan, indeed. As for the interiors, Ella Sedwick has a large lounge area on the first floor, which has already seen usage for homework sessions, Mario Kart games, and evening movie screenings, the latter two activities only possible due to the TV–hacking skills of one Swedish exchange student. The second floor has an open-air terrace, and comfortable outdoor areas for leisure, work, and/or relaxation. This leaves us asking only one question–#WhereAreTheBikeRacks?

As for the Jesse Daniel Ames Hall (nickname pending), the freshman-only housing is located behind the historic–and infamous–Clark and Mabee halls. Although only open for less than a month, it promises to quickly become one of the most exciting spaces on campus. The second and third floors, much like its sister dormitory, are home to spacious lounge areas and outdoor deckage, allowing students to host events, unwind together, or simply study in a new location. However, what sets this hall apart is located on the first floor. Upon entering the front door, you are greeted by a unique sight– a built-in gym and a yoga studio, both fully equipped with whatever equipment could ever be desired to chase away the dreaded “Freshman 15”. Get this–it even has a stairmaster. Truly cutting edge. These workout facilities are already paying off for the university, as people started using them as soon as possible post move-in. I personally had to fight off a few gym-bros just to relive my glory days of walking the mile on a treadmill.    

Now, while Ella Sedwick Hall was completed to a degree suitable enough for students to live there, it was not quite finished on their arrival. Naturally, the building had several “quirks”. I (Will) found that my own door could not lock on my first day there, a fact which humored me and scared my parents. Second-year resident Clara Baldwin remarked how there was a strange empty room in their suite. “There was nothing in there; no hanger bars. And, if you looked upwards… it went on forever,” they said. “It wasn’t an optical illusion… but it kind of felt like that, because I was thinking: how far does it go?” Apparently, sorcery is a part of the renovators’ resume. Not to mention that the elevator was not available for a few days after move-in, leading to inconvenience for residents in the upper floors (first floor stays winning, not that I am biased or anything).

Jesse Daniel Ames residents faced similar woes upon arrival. Our first discovery occurred before move-in day–when we received an email kindly informing us that the elevator would not be available for move in or for the foreseeable future. This left most residents resigned to a fate of trusting their fathers with their most valuable possessions and the impossible task of angling a futon correctly up a stairwell. The building also does not have laundry services yet, because how are you supposed to move a washer and dryer without an elevator? This led most residents to make a trek across the road to use the Brown-Cody facilities, or to scrounge around for enough change to visit a laundromat. I personally experienced a fair amount of strife, due to the fact that most of the outlets in my room don’t work (and continue not to work at the time of writing). You can only have a fridge plugged in next to a bathroom for so long before it becomes a sort of dilemma. 

Some already used the new residence halls as an opportunity for mischief. Not too long after student move-in day, someone (or multiple people; it is currently unknown) decided to clog and overrun the toilet in the first floor bathroom of Ella Sedwick. For most of the days ahead, as maintenance began to fix the issue, the first floor smelled, in the poetic phrase of Jonathan Martin: “rank”. Although nothing like this has happened over at Ames (as far as I am aware), the semester is still young. 

Southwestern has always been a forward-thinking institution in many senses of the term. These new state-of-the-art residence halls and the stories that have already emerged from them despite their relative youth, illustrate a university that is constantly looking to improve the lives and education of its students. There is much potential in these new buildings for new connections, new learning opportunities, and for new adventures, all things one wants in the ideal college experience. As Jonathan Martin put it, “There’s a bunch of different study rooms and different hangout spots, you know, to just get outside of your room, outside of your personal space and make new connections, meet new people, and just enjoy everything that a college like Southwestern has to offer.”