Discourse on the potential for Ryan and Mulledy Halls to foster religious dialogue dominated the discourse at the inaugural student forum held by the Office of Residential Living, the Georgetown University Student Association, and renovation firm Ayers Saint Gross on Wednesday. Slated to open as dormitories in fall 2015, the buildings proposed use stems from the buildings’ historical legacy as the former Jesuit residence.
Plans for the new dormitory include flattening the quadrangle formed by Ryan, Mulledy, and Gervase halls into an outdoor green space for student use. The dining hall and former Jesuit chapel, however, will not be affected and will serve as programming and campus ministry spaces, respectively.
“From what we’ve heard from Georgetown and the Jesuits, those are spaces that ought to be preserved,” said ASG representative Dennis Lynch.
The Office of Residential Living invited students to give ideas on Living Learning Communities and event programming in Ryan and Mulledy. One suggestion was to create LLCs focused on the University’s Catholic identity, which students expressed would fit well with the Old Jesuit Residence’s historical value. Other ideas included making the residence a space devoted to inter-religious dialogue and adding features such as a kosher kitchen to appeal to students of diverse religious backgrounds.
“This is a great opportunity to live out our mission and identity through this space,” said Assistant Dean for Residential Living Stephanie Lynch.
While the exact layout of each floor is still under deliberation, the building will consist primarily of eight, six and four-person suites and semi-suites, which are two bedrooms with a shared bathroom. Dennis Lynch estimated the Old Jesuit Residence could hold a maximum of 160 beds, but the number was reduced to 145 beds by the administration’s design for a more spacious layout to market the space to upperclassmen.
“We want to be in the suites and semi-suite area in order to attract that population [of upperclassmen], but we need to balance that with the need to get a certain bed count,” said Dennis Lynch, referring to the University’s commitment to add 385 beds on-campus by 2015 under the 2010 Campus Plan.
The University will continue these discussions on April 19 with a second open forum for students to give more feedback and ideas about the renovation of Ryan and Mulledy.
