Heemstra Hall, Doomed to Destruction....

Current Info: For those who don't know yet, the Board of Trustees met on October 9, 2007 to discuss the future of heemstra (among other things). A group of 8 men from heemstra went to the meeting as representatives of the dorm. They passed out letters from guys within the dorm, as well as a community letter that outlined our hopes as they go about the process. Those letters will be posted here soon for viewing. The Board was also encouraged to go to chapel that morning, where the men of heemstra stood outside with flags, posters, and other heemstra paraphinalia as a statement of support for the letter. West guys joined us as a statement to save small communities.

The Board decided to spend up to $500,000 for preliminary studies with the architect, with hopes to have a building(s) ready by the fall of 2010. They stated that they want student input in the project, and want to do what is possible to keep costs low and yet still focus on community and identity.

The life of heemstra is short, and there is little/nothing to do to save the building itself. What we can do is continue to encourage those with power to do what is possible (and maybe even reach for the impossible) to build small dorms that will allow the culture, traditions, and identities of both heemstra and West to continue. This may be the difficult part. While the Board claims to understand the benefits of small dorms and wants the architect to be creative in building something that supports that culture, but they also are concerned with the cost and it seems will fall to the side of what is cheaper in the end. This is where it will be important to help the architect see the need for a building that is not flashy, but functional.

Here's what you can do:

1. Write a letter for the Board and email it to Mori at bmoriart@nwciowa.edu . Content that will be helpful at this point includes how the current structure of heemstra adds to the experience and community. Content from the letters will be collaborated and presented to the architect. This is one of the most important things you can do. Express how the different quirks about heemstra effect us - small size, community spaces where we can all fit, lack of marble pillars, lack of air-conditioning, floor size, etc. Think about your own experience and how it would be different if heemstra was built differently.

2. Find someone who has a lot of money and will donate it with one stipulation: it can only be used to build a dorm of 100 guys or less.

3. Get in touch with heemstra alum and have them write letters as well.

At some point, there will be some way for you guys to interact with people who will be making decisions with the architect. Guys in heemstra will be informed about what that will look like when the time comes.

Thanks for your support!  Go to heemstrahall.com and get a glimpse of this place.