On Tuesday, a handful of us from the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) made the trek from the Miller-Ward Alumni House to Longstreet-Means, the new dormitory on Emory's campus.

I heard through the grapevine that this freshman residence hall was extremely lavish, but even after hearing that, I never fully believed that the words "lavish" and "freshman hall" could EVER appear in the same sentence.

Especially after living in a dorm my freshman year of college (not at Emory) with chipping paint on the walls, a "closet" with enough room to fit two outfits, frequent visits from roaches, and never knowing if the room was going to be stifling or frigid when I first walked in. (Not going to lie though ... freshman year was memorable and FUN ... my biggest worry was what cool party I would attend on a Friday night ...those were the days!).

So it turns out the grapevine was correct. The new Longstreet-Means Hall (located just a few yards from where the original, dearly departed Longstreet and Means halls once stood) was pretty awesome.

We immediately ooh-ed and ahh-ed as soon as we walked in and laid our eyes on the massive, stone fireplace in the main lobby surrounded by leather couches, chairs, and wood tables. I could not wait to see the rest!

As we scoped out the community kitchen, comments like "This is nicer than my house!" and "Is there extra space so I can move in?" popped up. There were high-rise tables and chairs, four burners on the stove, and a shiny, black refrigerator. I could already picture students whipping up batches of chocolate chip cookies or brownies to cope with the stress of finals or huge projects.
I was particularly amused by the mini bulletin boards outside each dorm room in the freshly carpeted halls with internal stucco walls (which we learned are more durable). The views from the windows in the hallways and in the various study lounges throughout the building were wonderful! Some windows showed the Atlanta skyline, bustling walkways (great for people watching), and other surrounding Emory buildings.

The dorm rooms even had new furniture! And the community bathrooms were sparkling (I wonder how long that will last?).

Enjoy your new residence hall, Emory freshmen!

See the photos on the EAA's Facebook fan page.

--Farah Shackelford, communications intern, EAA