Tuve Hall reopens, work still underway

Anthony G. Tuve Hall re-opened for students in August after two years of closure, but the building is still a work in progress.

The university has been officially in the process of renovating Tuve Hall since spring of 2025 to provide more on-campus housing. As class sizes continue to increase, so do housing demands, particularly for single-room accommodations. 

This is largely due to increased understanding and acceptance of disabilities and mental health issues. Students who need accommodations are now more likely to advocate for themselves, according to Whitney Jibben, director of housing, dining, and facility operations.

Like East Hall, Tuve now contains mostly single-occupant dorms which are appealing to students who want or need their own private space.

“The general idea was the nature of the room itself would be desirable, if you can get past the no A/C and no elevator aspect,” Director of Residence Life and Housing Daniel Sandberg said. “Once you're in the room, it is quite a nice space for one person.”

Extensive maintenance was required to make Tuve safe for students.

The most pressing issue was guaranteeing that all asbestos tiles found in the bathrooms — the main reason the hall was closed in the first place — were removed. Mold, caused by lack of air flow, was also present on pipes in the bathrooms. Over the summer, both health hazards were removed and treated by professionals.

Without adequate air circulation, trapped heat and moisture create mold growth. To combat this, the university installed air conditioning units in the south-wing bathrooms. The rest of the building remains without air conditioning, including student rooms where the only source of air flow comes from open windows.

While flooring and bathrooms were part of the first phase of renovation, phase two includes finishing the lobby, basement and student lounge areas. Amenities like a printer and an oven arrived during the start of the 2025 school year as students settled into the hall. 

Two new laundry units were also put in per floor. However, the washing machine on the second floor’s south wing was installed incorrectly, causing the laundry room and hallway to flood when students washed their clothes.

The university is also in the process of hiring janitorial staff, as Tuve lacks a dedicated custodian. This is a concern for many Tuve residents. 

“People already don’t take care of the space, and that’s coupled with janitorial staff at half capacity,” said senior Carson Steichen.

The building should see regular janitorial services beginning in the next couple of weeks, according to Jibben. Until then, custodians from other buildings are covering Tuve on top of their own halls. 

“This has all been a little crazy and a little difficult at times,” said junior Kalena Suquet. 

Suquet is one of two Viking Advisors overseeing all 80 Tuve residents. She did much of the heavy lifting for student move-in, between hauling micro-chill units all the way from Stavig into the rooms and hauling old furniture out of the lobby. Extra bedframes and mattresses currently fill the dayrooms on second and third floor, making them inaccessible to students. 

Suquet and the other VA were originally each assigned to manage one and a half floors but, on the advice of Residence Life, decided to co-manage the entire building to make students feel more comfortable.

“It’s hard because I’m supposed to be a VA for half of the second floor and all of the third, but third is an all male floor and they won’t come to me if they have issues,” Suquet said. “It would be nice to have a third VA.”

Outside of advice on floor management, direct communication about the renovation timeline from Residence Life has been limited, according to Suquet. She said that this makes it difficult to answer her residents’ questions about when furniture will arrive or when a dedicated janitor will be hired.

As for the basement, the university has not yet decided how to use the space. 

“It’s still completely gutted,” said Steichen. 

Augie Thrift operated out of the basement from February to July of 2024. Housing moved them to the first floor in August of 2024 to begin renovations in the basement. By November, the club was displaced from the building entirely.

Augie Thrift was very understanding of the renovation process, according to Jibben. Residence Life promised the club a spot in the building to go back to after renovations were complete, but that promise has since fallen through according to Augie Thrift president senior Jackson Reece.

“The first few times we asked if we were going to get the spot back, things were still unclear because renovations were ongoing,” Reece said. “But as of right now, they are leaning towards filling those spaces with other things.”