Merrill Place Officially Opens

Merrill Place, the newest building on campus, opened its doors for the first time this semester. It is the tallest building on campus, and the tallest building from Concord to Montreal. Residents are able to enjoy the view of campus, especially from the seventh floor. Entering Merrill Place feels much different than the rest of campus. Its high ceilings and colorful interior make it very inviting. It has a cafeteria-style lobby, with a communal kitchen and single tables as well as couches. The lobby has a few homey touches, including a ping pong table, pool table, and two gender-neutral bathrooms.

Merrill Place is comparable to Langdon Woods, although there are significant differences. Merrill does not have triples or suites, and so it is exclusively singles and doubles, each with it's own bathroom. Between three and four hundred students live there currently. It does not have a gym or cafe, but it makes up for that with its modern and eco-friendly technology. When residents open their windows, the air conditioning automatically shuts off, and on then comes back on once the windows are closed. The lights are all censored, so if a resident accidentally leaves with the lights on, they will turn off after a short period of time. Rudy Abi-Acar, the CA for the fourth floor, believes that this technology sets Merrill Place apart from all the other dorms on campus. “If you don’t want to get up, you can set a timer for the lights”, Rudy said, “So if you set it for twenty minutes, the light will turn off then.” This is ideal for residents who tend to be up late at night, and this feature is included in the bedrooms and bathrooms.