By Gavin Lindahl
Assistant Sports Editor
Almost a year ago, I made the decision to live in Francis Hall for my sophomore year at Bona’s. It wasn’t my first choice (of course), but I was dead-set on having a single, and the last one in Devereux Hall was snatched away a few spots ahead of me. I fumbled around with the options of getting a double in Dev or a single in Francis. I had already passed up on a suite, so it was down to those two choices – and time was running out.
I settled for Francis, and I’m still not quite sure why. The next few days were full of pity whenever I told someone where I was living next year. I got lots of pats on the shoulder and apologies, and I even got laughed at a few times.
“It can’t be that bad,” I said to myself. “I’m sure it’s nice and quiet. Francis Café is just downstairs and the walk can’t be too bad.”
When I moved in this past August and set eyes on my room for the first time, I was a little underwhelmed. I noticed the rooms are carpeted, which is cool, but they’re also outdated with only one outlet for the entire room, and, it’s kind of cramped. However, after months of living here, those are still my only real gripes with the rooms.
But if the university ever wants Francis to be something beyond everyone’s last choice and on par with Dev, the building needs to be upgraded. Actually, it needs more upgrades than Dev will be receiving. Dev will be receiving $250,000 in renovations. That’s not to mention the $7.5 million Robinson and Falconio Halls will be receiving. Francis already has the distance to the main campus working against it, and now it has no money coming in for renovations. So it needs a competitive edge.
The distance between Francis and campus is still the biggest issue. At first glance, the walk doesn’t seem like much of a problem for those without cars on campus. And it may not be, but the miles still add up.
Walking to campus is almost never a once-a-day-thing. Between classes, the Buzz, the BV, working out, intramurals and visiting friends, it’s a repetitive trip. Sure, you can hitch a ride or try to lump those things together in one trip – living on Bona’s East Side teaches residents to plan effectively before heading out – but it’s not always ideal.
Aside from the pure torment of waking up in the morning knowing you have to walk to class, the thought of weather is always bothersome too. Wind, snow and rain is more than enough to convince me not to walk over to campus. Adding a shuttle between Francis and campus would be something that could really come in handy for classes in the morning.
All in all, Francis isn’t a terrible place to live. But it can get a little inconvenient and annoying from time-to-time. It’s nothing the university can’t fix, though. If Francis is open to students next semester, its residents should get a little more attention – they certainly deserve it.
Gavin Lindahl is the assistant sports editor for The Bona Venture. His email is lindahg12@bonaventure.edu.
