By Rhiannon Burns, Staff Writer
Petrik Hall, which currently houses first-year Bellarmine students, is being renovated for the upcoming fall semester.
Petrik has 16 suites on four floors, with each suite having four double bedrooms and one single room, along with a common living area and two bathrooms with extra vanities. Construction starts this summer, and Petrik will be closed until the renovations are finished.
Petrik’s smallest room, the E room, is being renovated into a kitchenette. Inside that space will be cabinetry, a pantry, storage space, a microwave, a full fridge and full stove, an oven with a cooktop and a wall oven.
Assistant Director of Residence Life Lindsey Gilmore said the suite renovations will help build a stronger community.
“It allows students to feel more autonomous. They want to feel more like a college student and an adult,” Gilmore said, “Petrik lends itself to be able to do that much easier because it is suite style, and most upperclassmen want suites.”
Petrik has only one kitchen, which is on the first floor and is shared by everyone. The area will be renovated and turned into an additional suite.
Dean of Students Dr. Sean McGreevey said he hopes the renovations will meet students’ needs and keep the dorm prices from increasing.
“What students want is to be able to progress,” McGreevey said. “People want to be in suites with a living area and a kitchenette to where they can cook their own meals. We need to have more spaces for our upper-class students to progress into.”
Residence Life Coordinator Patrick Riley said the renovations will benefit students who want something different and more accessible.
“We are really excited about releasing this. We were super happy about how quickly the spaces filled up,” Riley said. “This is how you’re going to live when you leave Bellarmine. You are going to have an apartment or a house, and you’ll have your own kitchen and space. Giving them the opportunity to have that on campus is very beneficial.”
Petrik has been home to first-year students only. But it will also house upperclassmen beginning in the fall.
Resident Assistant Peyton O’Leary has lived in Petrik throughout his college career and is excited about the upcoming renovations.
“I think it’ll be beneficial to students,” O’Leary said. “The upperclassmen want more independence and with the additional kitchens it will make it easier.”
Kennedy and Newman Hall are also being renovated this summer. The learning communities are being moved, and the faculty offices are being relocated to the ground floor. There also will be a classroom on the ground floor and a study room on every floor.