North Quad renovations underway

Renovations to the North Quad dorms on the McNichols campus began in mid-October that promise to bring big changes to the living experience.

The building will get new air conditioning and heating units in each dorm room and lounge. Lighting will also be updated throughout study lounges, and the building is also receiving new mechanical piping.

According to the University of Detroit Mercy website, Facility Operations expects the project to be completed in late January, with updates to the windows starting next summer.

The North Quad updates are part of a campus-wide renovation project that has included a new Student Union and host of other projects.

Between the new AC and heating units and new windows, the North Quad dorms will be the best insulated on campus, keeping students cool during the warmer months and warm during the cold Michigan winters.

Many students were hopeful that Detroit Mercy would renovate the North Quad bathrooms and dorm room aesthetics, as opposed to changes to just the common areas.

“The bathrooms have not been the best in the dorms,” said Anne Wiebelhaus, a sophomore Biology major.

Senior Psychology major Tessia Struck said “specifically the showers, but definitely the lighting overall” could have been better when she lived there.

No students are currently living in North Quad as the renovations take place, and the changes have had a minimal impact on those in other dorms.

“I had no clue there were renovations even occurring,” said Anna Kirsch, a senior Biology major on the five-year Physician Assistant track.