At IWU, we take pride in stewarding some of the best residence halls in the state. We are committed to maintaining our facilities at a high level, but due to the pandemic, we have fallen behind in some of our residence halls. In an effort to maintain our commitment, we are pleased to announce plans to renovate Hodson Hall during the 2023-2024 school year! Hodson Hall is currently our oldest operating residence hall and is displaying some needs that should not be overlooked any longer.
Martin Hall will transition to male student housing, housing the men of Hodson Hall while Hodson undergoes facility renovations. To sustain the Martin Hall community, we are seizing this opportunity to simultaneously reopen Carmin Hall, a beloved residence hall space that was recently renovated, for the women of Martin!
While this is a fantastic opportunity to renovate our residential facilities, we are aware that several Hall communities will be impacted profoundly.
Martin Hall has been home to thousands of IWU women since its construction in 2004. In addition to repping all things pineapple, Martin Hall hosts a range of cherished traditions, from Common Table to Welcome Home Week, that promote an active and engaging community and that help students understand the value of life lived together. We’re excited to continue this sense of community in the newly refurbished space that is Carmin Hall.
Hodson Hall was originally constructed as a women’s hall in 1996 but has housed thousands of IWU men since it was flipped in 1999. Hodson has been a special place where male students at every stage in their college experience, Freshmen through Seniors, have learned to live in community together. The shared Hodson-Evans lawn regularly hosts campus-wide programs and events and is always alive with student activity. We are confident that the men of Hodson will continue this community in their temporary location next year and are already looking forward to bringing them back to a renovated Hodson Hall in 2024-2025.
Carmin Hall was built in 1990, and each year was home to 152 IWU students. The smaller number of rooms promoted an intimate and vibrant community for these Freshmen through Senior women. Carmin was closed in Fall 2019 and has been used for a variety of purposes since its completed renovation. We are excited to reopen this space in the heart of IWU’s campus next to the Barnes Student Center to a new generation of students.
Our Residence Halls are rich sources of community and traditions for many students, and we recognize it may be difficult to imagine these changes for next year. Know that we are still committed to the values of community and belonging that shape the student experience here. We are excited about the future of our residential campus and invite you to continue with us in the good, hard work of cultivating a deep and transformative community here at IWU.