New and old students suffered many inconveniences in moving into their dorm rooms on Monday, August 25—one day after students taking summer courses had left.

The dorms, especially Kerr Hall, which had been under renovation since June 24, were home to AUB staff and their families during the war. Renovation had been delayed and is currently being completed in Kerr Hall—a timing deemed inconvenient by many students.

Starting mid-July, then Acting President Peter Heath called on “essential personnel required to maintain basic university operations” to stay on campus.

Summer courses were suspended and students left campus, leaving their rooms empty for doctors, physicians, and staff, in some cases with their families. Renovation for three floors in Penrose Hall and remodeling bathrooms in Kerr Hall was halted.

The families and staff remained in the dorms until almost a week after the date of ceasefire.

“One week after the war, 99 percent of the staff had left the dorms,” said Student Housing Coordinator Nawal Semaan. The janitors did not have enough time to clean because of the short time slot between the summer and fall semesters. Students had to wait, take temporary rooms and sometimes move their own stuff into their rooms if their patience ran out. Although the old students tend to be more understanding, according to Semaan, there was more pressure on having everything ready on time for the new students.

After the families left the dorms, students were able to reclaim their rooms for the summer and then for the fall semesters. The main problem, according to several students, arose from the fact that renovation had to be postponed, and consequently, students at men’s dorms came to bathrooms that were not totally complete.

Third-year Engineering student Raghid Santini who also lives at Kerr Hall said that moving his luggage from Penrose, where he had left them during the summer, to Kerr Hall was delayed. He added, “The floors were still dirty, some furniture was dusty.” With renovation being finalized on the fourth floor now, they feel relieved that things are back to normal.

“Residents of Kerr Hall suffered the most from renovation delays this year”, said Semaan. The period between June 24 and September 15, which was allocated for renovation by the Physical Plant, was disrupted. Accordingly, renovation was delayed and rushed. It is being finalized now in Kerr Hall: “The Physical Plant is putting the last touches on the fourth floor now; the second and third floors are being renovated now but we do not need them at the moment,” said Semaan.

The students, though, juniors and seniors in particular, were happy to be back. They moved their own belongings to their rooms, accepting the fact that renovations were forced to stop during the war and were resumed just before classes commenced. “They are almost done now, so we are not that bothered by it anymore,” agreed the two students.

As for women’s dorms, they were undergoing some renovations like paint jobs. Dorm resident Ruba Shweihat said that the dorms were “okay, but there was a lot of

unfinished painting and repairing that had to be done. Air conditioners either smelled bad or leaked. Closet and desk keys are still unavailable.” Her friend, who is also resident at the women’s dorms, is still waiting to move to her room, said Shweihat.

Semaan said that last year, the dorms were fully booked, with a long waiting list. “Due to this summer’s events, we expect the occupancy to be around 90 percent. . . Several students have cancelled their applications, but the numbers are not yet exact,” said Semaan, pointing at a big pile of papers on her desk. “Many of those are international students,” she said, “and around thirty students have not yet returned our emails on whether they are coming back.” By the third week of October, figures should be accurately determined.