The Denisonian Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
Established in 1857
In this issue: Learn about Housing new and old
See page 6-7
Volume 158, No. 8
Chamberlin Lodge renovations expose rich history By Jared Liston Special to The Denisonian
Photo by Alex Walling/The Denisonian
Built in 1927 by architecture firm Miller and Reeves of Columbus, Chamberlin Lodge was built to house the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. In the fall of 2012, it will serve as apartment style living for senior students.
Students write to the finish in NaNoWriMo By Colin Stoecker Special to The Denisonian It might be a surprise to some Denison students to hear that about a dozen of their peers spent the month of September attempting to write a 50,000 word novel. Throughout the entire month of November, The Denison Writer’s Club, a student organization focusing mainly on reading and writing fiction, devising prompts for material, and writing workshops, undertook one of its most ambitious projects yet, participating in the National Novel Writing Month Challenge, also known as NaNoWriMo. In NaNoWriMo, students seek to complete The Writer’s Club, headed by Abby Current, a sophomore English major from Leesburg, Ohio, viewed the challenge as a fantastic opportunity. “A lot of students wonder if they would be able to write a book,” and the collective attitude of NaNoWriMo is, “so just write it,” said Current. “November can be one of the craziest months of the year, so to write a novel like this in 30 days is a lot of fun, but also a big accomplishment.” And this is not a task that the students of the writers club attempt alone. According to Current, The Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit organization
which organizes similar events, has sponsored the national event annually for the last decade. There are also promotions offered by other companies to aid the student writers in their daunting task, including Createspace.com, an online self-publishing company, and Scrivener, another publishing company. Both have served to get behind the students in their ambitious attempts as young writers. This year the club had at least four people finish their own individual novels, but not without the help of the rest of the students. The club exemplified great teamwork as the students helped urged each other toward the finish even if the contest is viewed by many student writers and Current alike, as an “inward challenge.” However, Current also acknowledged some downside to the challenge. “Falling behind can be hectic sometimes with 1667 or so words to write everyday if you expect to finish,” she said. “You have to be dedicated to counter stress and falling short, knowing you came all that way, is a bad feeling.” Carla Ramirez, a member of the class of 2014 as well one of the few non-English majors involved in the event, had a crucial role providing feedback and helping other writers. “This was my first time,” she said. “I had
a great time talking to people and bouncing ideas off of each other, even though I didn’t write a novel of my own. I still felt like I helped out a lot.” “Just being able to do this inspires a confidence with writing and an ability to generate material. It’s cool to feel that you can write that much. Life is crazy, but this gives you confidence,” said Current. Peter Hurford, a sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio, focused his novel on “blog posts” and ended the month of November with over 51,000 words. When asked whether everyone writes fiction for NaNoWriMo, Current responded that “there are ‘Nano-rebels’ who focus on short stories or poems, and that the writing doesn’t have to all be fiction.” On Sunday, Dec. 4th the Denison Writers Club is having a celebration of the completion of NaNoWriMo at the Bandersnatch from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. “This event is open-mic and is an opportunity for students to read parts of their writing,” said Current. This month, regardless, has been a busy and successful one for the members of the Writers Club and those students who participated in National Novel Writing Month here at Denison.
Now that chemistry classes are finally back in the newly renovated Ebaugh Laboratories and the new Mitchell Recreation Center natatorium is well under construction, Denison changed its focus to the renovations of Chamberlain Lodge as its newest housing project. With its unmistakable white pillars and expansive porches, Chamberlain sits perched along the rear entrance to campus and overlooks Piper Stadium from the edge of the north quad loop. Starting next year, students will soon be able to enjoy this breathtaking view once more, as Chamberlain is undergoing both interior and exterior renovations that will turn it into an apartment-style residence hall for seniors. Bill Fox, director of residential education and housing, said that the new interior of Chamberlain will be very similar to that of the Sunset apartments on West Quad, with four-person units comprising the majority of the building. Each apartment will have a single bedroom for each of its occupants, in addition to a common room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. "The overall strategy has been to add more apartment-style bed spaces to our residential options here on campus," Fox said. "We in residential education believe it is extremely important for us to give that option to as many seniors as possible." Vera Staley, a senior from Denver, Colo., said that she wished the current senior class had the extra option to live in Chamberlain. "It looks like its going to be a really great environment," she said. To maximize Chamberlain's occupancy, the house will be getting a five-story addition on the backside of the building. In accordance to Denison's campus-wide initiative to become more environmentally sustainable, all renovations done on Chamberlain will adhere to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. LEED standards, which were established in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), require buildings to meet green technology standards in the areas of water efficiency, energy used and atmosphere, materials and resources used, and indoor environmental quality. Art Chonko, director of Facilities Services, said that the renovation will cost an estimated $6.5 million. "The $6.5 million covers the costs of furnishing the suites, building permits, construction; pretty much everything required to get it up and running," Chonko said. Fox believes that once Chamberlin is open for residents in the fall of 2012, it will not only create more space for the senior class to live, but will also alleviate some of the stress felt by juniors and sophomores when they are searching for housing options. Continues on page 7