During the 2021 school year, the College of Wooster undertook a project to renovate Lowry, the main dining location on campus. For the past year or so, students have been instructed to enter Lowry from one entrance on the side of the building with three sets of stairs leading to the current dining space. In addition, the post office and C Store have been moved to opposite ends of campus while this renovation takes place, making it more inconvenient for students to visit those locations.
I believe that, while the renovation will certainly benefit students in the long run, Lowry is currently not the social environment it once was and many students do not eat as frequently as they would like to due to the inconvenience of visiting Lowry. While several clubs continue to do this, some have stopped weekly dinners at Lowry which, I believe, changes the atmosphere of the space. I don’t look forward to seeing my friends at dinner in the ways that I used to, because Lowry does not feel the same as it used to.
To address the second part of my concern with the Lowry renovation, many friends of mine neglect to eat for much of the day because Lowry is now inconvenient to access for them and food options there are limited due to shortened hours of operation and location. To make up for this, Wooster opened Kittredge Hall for meals, however they serve extremely limited options (except on specialty days), and it is even farther away than Lowry. The college has been trying to accommodate for students and I respect that, however with Lowry under construction, I feel that the social scene and options for food on campus are limited.
All in all, I feel that Wooster feels less like a community, and Lowry does not feel like the social and welcoming space that I remember it being in past years. I understand that this renovation had to occur, however I still have strong feelings about the changes it has brought to the campus community.