Earlier this semester, the residents of Newport House, the French and Spanish theme house, returned to find a surprising new addition to their living space. In the place of one of Newport's common rooms, they found instead a classroom, complete with four walls and its own card-access door. Classes started in the new room at the beginning of semester, and, as yet, there have not been any complaints made to administration by professors or students.

The site of several French classes, Newport's latest addition represents an experiment by the College to keep up with the evolving needs and demands of language studies as well as a general lack of classroom space on campus.

Prior to the construction of the Newport classroom, French and European language classes were all held in Barrett Hall, a former gymnasium constructed in 1860. Famed for housing the first department of Physical Education in the country, Barrett Gym was renovated into Barrett Hall in 1907.

At the time of the renovation, language study comprised mainly of the in-depth study of literature. It emphasized reading comprehension and writing. However, as time progressed, the focus shifted from reading to speaking fluency. With the introduction of an increasing number audio-visual elements into the language curriculum, it became evident that Barrett Hall was unsuited for language instruction.

The walls, while adequate for suppressing the noise of turning pages and scribbling pens, were too thin to effectively block out background noises from neighboring classrooms and the outdoors. This was a serious impediment for professors, who had to shout to be heard, and for students, who were reluctant to raise their voices.

In light of these inadequacies, the administration began searching for an alternative classroom location several years ago. Finally, according to Dean of New Students and Professor of French Paul Rockwell, President Tony Marx suggested installing a classroom in a dormitory after noticing the abundance of underutilized space in them. They chose Newport because it is the French theme house and has a good deal of common space on the ground floor. It housed students most likely to take upper-level classes.

The idea of locating classrooms in dormitories is not new and has in fact become a national trend. "The idea is to try and bridge the gap between academic life and residential life," said Rockwell. Classroom construction took place over this summer as workers installed air-conditioning and computer equipment and soundproofed its walls.

There are no current plans to construct additional classrooms in dormitories. Rockwell explained that there are still concerns about possible noise complaints from residents and professors. "This [classroom] is an experiment and a temporary solution to the problem of language classrooms in Barrett Hall," emphasized Rockwell.