Mary Hobbs is in desperate need of renovations. It’s getting old. It would be really nice to see it look a lot better than it does now. However, there is a price. This has become a very controversial topic on the Guilford College campus, as residents of Mary Hobbs will now have to move out.

Personally, as much as I agree with making Mary Hobbs look better, I just think it is coming at the wrong time. Oct. 29 is just way too late to notify residents.

Mary Hobbs is one of the original buildings on Guilford’s campus, and just like what Founders went through, this is a necessary renovation. The building is 175 -years-old, so it really is about time. And the earlier you start the renovations, the better it is for the next school year.

It seems logical, right? Not exactly.

“All I have to say is that it is definitely an awful time to be doing these renovations and that if they had done them in the fall, at least no one would sign up for Mary Hobbs and expect to live there like we did,” said junior Casey Costa. “It is going to cause a lot of stress for people and is just an added hassle to how much school work we have.”

The renovations are expected to begin in March and are supposed to be over by early August.

But is it really necessary to do this in the middle of the school year? Probably not and the administration should have warned the students about it before they moved in. It’s pretty ridiculous to have the students move out after moving in three months ago.

“I’m going abroad next semester, but I’m concerned about Mary Hobbs residents and the Greenleaf being relocated,” said junior Molly Day Cooney. “They should have notified people earlier.”

It is a difficult situation to talk about as people are on both sides of the issue. However, why couldn’t they have done the renovations during the summer when people wont be staying there? There should have been some notification before the school year started or before people signed up living arrangements this past spring semester.

Junior Grace Sullivan, however, had a different view on how she felt about moving out.

“I have no problem moving out of Hobbs,” said Sullivan. “It’s not ideal, and it won’t be a piece of cake to move in the middle of the semester, but it’s so worth it to me. I can imagine a community of girls using and loving the new space next year, and that’s enough to make the move worth it for me. The changes will only continue to grow the sense of community we pride ourselves in having here at Guilford.”

Still, recognizing the flip side of the issue, Sullivan continued.

“I understand why some Hobbs residents are upset,” said Sullivan. “That makes total sense to me, but I also think that Campus Life has been made out to be the bad guys when the real issues and frustrations should be pointed towards the fact that institutions and organizations are constantly having to make tough decisions that effect their customers (or in this case, residents).”