After the 90-day renovation, many returning students were stunned to open the doors of Fanning to see a complete transformation. Every suite was gutted out and finished with hard wood floors, new appliances, fresh paint, better internet service and completely new furniture.
“Fanning hall is a beautiful dorm that has always housed beautiful ladies, and I am happy to be here opening my 7th dorm,” said Laurie Sain, head resident of Fanning.
“When you walk into fanning now, you feel like you are at home,” said Latoya Clark, a senior resident of fanning majoring in biochemistry from Jackson, Tenn.
Before the renovation, minor repairs and patching were made to the women’s dormitory. After this summer, those issues have finally been completely addressed. Now, residents can be sure that they will be cool in the warm months and warm in the cool months. It’s these types of changes that mean the most to the returning students.
Jarathzy Lendos, a sophomore nursing major from Honduras, says that her showers have improved immensely in contrast to last year.
“Now I do not have to worry about the water scalding my head when I take a shower,” she said.
As one can only imagine, the living conditions of the 61-year-old building were dangerous and outdated for anyone living there today.
“Fanning was old, run down, and old lady-like because everything was sagging and falling off the walls,” Lendos said.
However, now, it is just the opposite.
“I was always convinced that with a little bit of help you could make Fanning a concentration camp or prison just by the way it looked,” said Ivanna Johnson, sophomore biologoy major from Nashville. “But now, it feels like a resort.”
Before, many residents made the joke about living in the “dungeon” because of Fanning’s age and its appearance.
“It was time for old Fanning to be torn down,” Clark, a longtime resident, said. “Everything was falling apart, and as a senior, I think we deserve it.”
For many years Fanning was not on the top of the list for style or cleanliness, but it has always remained as a high standard for its communal style living.
“Fanning is the best because it is more like a community and a family within your suite,” Lendos said.
For many students, Fanning is now considered a home that contains both style and beauty.