A Fixer-Upper Summer Renovations to modernize Perkins and Smith Hall seek to eliminate water, mold, bug issues

By Brey Sands | Managing Editor

It’s time for a much-needed facelift for Perkins and Smith Hall, two of SMU’s six on-campus living options for Upper Division Housing. Built in 1949, these dorms have not been renovated since the mid-90s. These long overdue renovations will begin this summer.

Current resident, sophomore Olivia Lind, describes her living experience in Perkins Hall as less than ideal.

“While the dorms provide me with a place to sleep and shower, I constantly see cockroaches roaming the floors of my dorm,” Lind said. “There is constant flooding during storms, moldy ceilings in the showers, leaking ceilings in the bathrooms, in general, constant messes in the kitchen area, and only four washers and dryers for a three-story building.”

These poor living conditions, however, are not unique to Lind’s experience.

Junior JP Braunfisch, another resident in Perkins, notes having consistent issues with necessities such as water and room temperature. “Being in such

Dean of Residence Life and Student Housing

Aramis Watson ensures students that these renovations are being brought forth in order to make living on campus a more comfortable experience. “The renovation is really about making sure that our Upper-Division on modernizing that area of campus.” an old building, I’ve had to go through a lot of inconveniences over the last two years such as days or even weeks without hot water and no heating or air in my room,” Braunfisch said.

Watson hopes modernizing Perkins and Smith will not only provide students with upgraded amenities and reliable infrastructure but also a sense of community.

Housing is a place where students not only feel comfortable but feel like it’s modernized,” Watson said. “We just haven’t had the funding or the bandwidth to be able to really focus

SMU students are required to live in on-campus housing during their first and second years of attendance at the university. Many first-year students live in one of 11 residential commons, each offering a unique sense of community during the transition from home to college life. For example, Crum Commons put on The Great Crumpkin every Halloween, and Kathy Crow puts on its “Crowchella” event every spring. In Upper Division Housing at Perkins and Smith, the lounges only accommodate smaller scale events such as smoothie nights and weekend brunches.

But Watson said a sense of community, which is built into the foundation of the commons, will be woven into Upper Division

Housing with these new renovations. “The core is really building community,” Watson said. “And building an environment where our Upper Division students feel like they are making a true continued experience from our commons experience.”