The razing and subsequent construction of the new James and Stearns are an important part of the master residential plan, which will put all first-years on the Freshman Quad. Dean of Students Ben Lieber spoke first at the ceremony. "This is an important moment for the life of the College," he said. "We believe these two buildings represent a major culmination of our [residential] plans."
Molibi Maphanyane '06 spoke next and recalled his experiences living in James as a first-year. He remembered carrying all his belongings up the flights of stairs himself since the dorm had no elevator prior to the remodelling. He recalled trying to find an air conditioner and asking his resident counselor (RC), who laughed. Maphanyane recalled that the two spent time in the hallway to avoid the heat and talked about themselves and their future plans.
Despite their lack of amenities, the two dorms had a sense of community, according to Maphanyane. The fourth floors of James and Stearns would often compete. Maphanyane's room was on the corner of James, and he used his desk lamp to send messages in Morse code to the room across from his in Stearns. He and the Stearns resident became fast friends, playing rugby and sharing their Thanksgivings together.
Gudrun Juffer '08, an RC in Stearns, spoke at the event as well. She said many of her residents were nervous about their future living situations until they saw the buildings. The buildings had the same effect on the parents, who opened up and talked about their own freshman dorms when they were in college. "They fulfill the role of creating a greater sense of community with the shared facilities," said Juffer, who added that "the sense of community extends beyond the dorms."
President Anthony Marx then spoke. He said that at first he asked why the two dorms needed renovation. He said he and Amos Hostetter '58, the former chairman of the board of trustees, visited the dorms, picked a room and found three basketball players sharing one room. He remembered asking himself, "How can they actually fit in there?"
Now that the buildings are renovated, Marx said that he was pleased with them. "These are beautiful and comfortable buildings," he said. "These buildings create and form together the historical center of the campus."
Marx went on to say that the Freshman Quad, including James and Stearns, are the culmination of the "Amherst Dream." He said the strengthened sense of community at the College is what he hopes students will then show to the world.
Following Marx, chairman of the board of trustees Jide Zeitlin '85 spoke about how bringing together these "distinctive backgrounds and perspectives" was essential to the Amherst experience. Zeitlin said that seemingly small details were purposely planned to strengthen the dorm community. For example, the laundry rooms of both buildings are larger than average to allow up to 14 students to do their laundry at the same time.
The ceremony was concluded by a song from the Bluestockings and a tour of the buildings.
Juffer said after the ceremony that she had not realized how much planning had been put into the buildings. "It was exciting to see how much work the administration had put into [the dorms]," she said. "It was really nice to see how much the administration actually cared about the student body, which is not a perception that most people have whether fairly or unfairly."