Vanguard Center set for long-awaited renovations

After nearly 20 years, Vanguard Center will be renovated this summer to deal with issues within both buildings and individual rooms.

Each room will be assessed by its needs, because some rooms require more work than others. The renovations will mostly focus on plumbing, sub-flooring and hardware, as well as any other problems that arise, according to housing coordinator Megan Sisk.

Since the opening of Vanguard Center in 1998, the buildings have been used year round for students during the school year and for summer housing. Because the apartments are used year round, there has been little opportunity to fix any of the existing problems, Sisk said.

Students have complained of low water pressure, their refrigerator leaking, the drains in their skinks and bathrooms not working, and a numerous amount of other things.

According to Sisk, there has not been an opportunity for a complete renovation since the opening of Vanguard Center, and facilities has only been able to go in and quickly fix any wears and tears.

Students living at Vanguard Center this year have run into problems with their rooms being flooded from broken pipes.

Three rooms flooded this year alone in senior and RA Samantha Vasque’s buildings, inconveniencing everyone involved.

“I got a call from one of the residents about their pipes bursting and how they were only able to get in contact with our Resident Director. Their bedroom was soaked and maintenance was able to get the water out, but the water actually seeped into my room and soaked my carpet too. We didn’t find out until two days later,” Vasquez stated.

Junior Becca Lowden was one of the students whose room flooded.

“My roommate and I came home to our door wide open with maintenance staff inside and when we walked in it was humid and we looked down to see the carpet was soaking wet,” Lowden stated.

Residence Life wants to avoid issues like these, and they have been pushing for a budget to go towards Vanguard Center. If they want students to continue desiring to live there, Residence Life Director Shelley Youd realized that it was time for a much needed change and that change would cost money.

“Every year the university has a budget, a capital improvements budget they designate towards certain necessary projects. This year Shelley and I advocated strongly, along with Bruce Crouch from facility services, that Vanguard Center needed money to be put into it,” Sisk stated.

Students who usually stay at Vanguard Center over the summer will now be staying in the Balboa and Newport dorms on campus. While living there, students will have access to the kitchen on the third floor of Balboa.

Renovations will be complete by the end of summer, permitting students to move back in at the beginning of next year.