The architectural rending of Du Bois College House by MGA Partners, showing some of the major renovations announced for the four-story building including the large new “picture window” in the Multipurpose Room on the first floor. From the Penn Almanac.

After years of pressure from students, faculty and administrators alike, DuBois College House is undergoing a major renovation!

Student room improvements will include fresh paint and new furniture. Bathroom fixtures and finishes will be renovated or replaced. New lighting, floor tiles, exhaust fans and in-room electrical panels and radiator covers will be installed. Numerous exterior and public space improvements are planned. The building’s exterior will be washed, bricks re-pointed and masonry restored. New windows will be installed with brighter glass, casements, screens and mini-blinds. Additional improvements are planned for the multi-purpose room, first floor common kitchen, first floor computer lab, house office, lounges and public restrooms.

The full announcement was made in the Almanac and the DP. The renovation has already begun and will hopefully be finished by the beginning of Fall 2009.

This major renovation did not come about overnight – rather, it has been the product of persistent lobbying by UMOJA, the UMC, other minority coalitions, individual residents of DuBois, and the UA, which passed a resolution supporting DuBois renovations in 2006(!). Invaluable support also came from key administrators, most notably Vice-Provost Val Cade and Associate Vice-Provost Will Gipson, who is also the Faculty Master of DuBois.