By Rylie Lockerman, Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas
The towers that once cast shadows over OU’s campus have slowly come tumbling down this summer, making way for a new beginning. One that allows for the past to be appreciated, but a successful future to be built.
Adams Center, which stood 12 floors tall and housed 1,150 students, had its charms when it opened in 1964 but was better known for mold and flooding in recent years.
“I think it opens up a good opportunity for better housing,” fifth-year senior Lacey Bacon said. “It already feels like the university is selling more spots than they have, and now they have taken away even more.”
OU senior Makenna Erwin lived in Adams as a freshman and is now a resident adviser in Cross Village. Her reflections on living in Adams highlighted how the defects of the old building overpowered the positive aspects.
“It’s kind of sad because I have fond memories there, but it needed to be done,” Erwin said. “Even though I have fond memories there and miss places like Cane’s and the movie theater where I would hang out with my friends, it was really time for OU to finally get those new dorms.”
While it wasn’t only an issue with Adams, the university previously stated in an OU Daily report that there was mold growing and affecting students in the dorms. Many instances occurred where students became sick due to the mold, even if the cause was unknown at the time. Not only was the health of some residents in danger, but the building also often flooded.
“I was in the basement watching a movie with some of my friends,” Erwin said. “And we heard water dripping and we noticed in the corner of the room that water was dripping into the basement. It turns out it was pouring from the eighth floor and down because the lobby flooded.”
OU Director of Media Relations April Sandefer said the new building will offer premium accommodations for first-year students, with features that include a convenience store, coffee shop, lounges, storm shelters, outdoor spaces and more.
“The laundry was the worst,” Bacon said. “I’m glad that every other place has better laundry situations. (In Adams) you had to go down to the basement where there would only be three washers and four dryers. If those were full you would have to go to another tower and try again. I live in Walker now and am much happier with that.”
The tear down of the towers resulted in the already limited amount of parking to be an even greater issue because some of the already limited number of parking spaces have been eliminated. Originally, students were provided with priority parking that later transitioned to housing parking with restricted parking garage space, according to Erwin.
“It’s kind of a tricky situation,” Erwin said. “I know there isn’t much they can do right now, but I really hope they take into consideration the parking issues we have had. Because it has changed since I’ve been here. I really hope they take into consideration commuters as well as the growing population of first-year students and that they add more parking when they build these new dorms, because no one enjoys parking.”
However, the disadvantages the parking situation has caused doesn’t appear to be an issue for one student who commutes by bike. This may be the new normal for many students.
“I ride my bike so I get free parking everywhere,” sophomore Solon Truong said. “(Parking) is going to be a nightmare, but a nightmare I won’t have to deal with.”
Cross Village has become home for numerous students whose dorms are currently unavailable. Cross Village FAQs confirm that first-year students will have the option to live in those apartments while the tower undergoes construction.
“The university might feel so much less established with everything seeming so official before, and now there’s just a couple ruins,” Bacon said.
