Maria Residence Hall on West Campus had lounges painted and flooring replaced this summer, to match the colors of the houses within Maria.

“The accent colors for both the paint and flooring were chosen from our house colors. Eridanus (1st and 2nd floor) blue-green and Octans (3rd and 4th floors) purple,” Ann Durley, hall director of Maria, said.

The painting was done by Sorenson & Sorenson Painting and the carpet contract was with Hiller’s Flooring America, both out of Rochester, Minn.

Students said that the new paint makes the hall seem more like home. Peter Weinana, first-year elementary and special education major, said that the paint makes the room feel less like a residence hall and more like a home, which is something most incoming students need.

Molly Sarbacker, a sophomore social work major at Winona State is the third floor resident assistant in Maria. She shared how she feels about the new changes to the hall.

“It looks great. Less institutionalized, you could say. Very home-y[SIC],” Sarbacker said.

The project started on May 5 and ended on Aug. 15 and there were few disturbances caused by the renovations for the hall.

Unfortunately, the building was not prepared for incoming students until move-in day on Aug. 15. When the resident assistants were supposed to move in for training, the fire alarms were not yet put back in. They were then moved into the Tau Center until the renovations were done.

During the new renovations, furniture was moved to the underground tunnel that connects the residence halls on West Campus, Maria and Lourdes. Other furniture that was stored in the tunnel during the summer included lofts, chairs, night stands and bed frames.

Some mattresses that were stored in the tunnel had to be thrown away, after having mold that develop from the moisture in the tunnel. However, it did not cause an issue with move-in day.

Many past and present residents of Maria have stated that they love the new paint.