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“Rubin Hall already has been a great place to call home,” says Nikki Huff ’07 (Springfield, N.J.).
Meredith White ’06 (Andover, Mass.), an R.A. in the new hall, couldn’t agree more. “The College has been working hard to fulfill all our requests in a timely fashion, and Rubin Hall is a very comfortable place to live.”
Fifty-nine students are living in Rubin Hall, the first student residence to open in the four-building Sullivan Lane complex. Amenities that include a full kitchen, air conditioning, and lounges with new televisions and furniture on each floor make Rubin an appealing housing option, says Huff, who is pursuing a B.S. in neuroscience and A.B. with a major in economics and business.
“Rubin Hall has a lot to offer,” she says. “Although I was worried about the noise, the continuing construction hasn’t been a nuisance. When all the construction is finished, this area will be a great new addition to campus.”
White likes Rubin Hall’s spacious common areas and rooms and says its location is convenient.
“We have a wonderful common area on the ground floor with a full kitchen and lounge. Single rooms are plenty large enough, and double rooms are much larger here than in some other residence halls,” White says.
“Nothing is really that far away,” continues the biochemistry major. “I quickly became used to the distance, and now I only have to leave for class three or four minutes earlier than I did before. When the other new residence halls open, this area will really be the place to be.”
“I am happy I chose Rubin,” says Jennifer Farrell ’08 (East Setauket, N.Y.). “It’s clean and new, and the rooms are a decent size.”
Single-occupancy rooms make up about 70 percent of Rubin Hall, with double rooms located mostly on the ends of the wings. The hall may house one or more special-interest living groups next academic year. One of Rubin’s distinctive features is the ability to house a living group in a sector of the hall with its own entrance and common spaces.
“Several suites in the Sullivan complex hold more than four students, and it is particularly exciting to consider how groups of students may use those areas,” says Annette Diorio, assistant dean of students and director of residence life. “One idea is to allow students exploring interdisciplinary research projects an opportunity to live together, forming a community focused on their scholarship.”
The other Sullivan buildings are scheduled for occupancy in the spring semester, and a parking deck with an initial capacity of 350 vehicles is expected to open in mid-October, barring weather-related delays. The residences are named in recognition of generous financial commitments to Lafayette by George Rubin ’64, James Fisher ’77, and Harold Kamine ’78. Peter Simon ’75 has also provided major support.
Two buildings, with 80-plus beds each, will feature four-person suites with semiprivate bathrooms and kitchenettes. Each suite will have its own living area, and there will be a common living/meeting room.
Adding to the roster of residences dedicated to first-year students, a building with about 90 beds will have double rooms with a common bathroom. Two groups of students on each floor will each have their own shared living space. The lower level will include a faculty apartment and a common room opening onto a terrace overlooking a quad.