Helser Hall is getting a summer makeover

Male worker pulls apart built-in furniture in Helser Hall room

Dan Riedel, ISU senior in business management and summer employee of Sage Construction, general contractor on the Helser Hall project, dismantles built-in storage units in student rooms this week. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

The north fourth of Helser Hall came down in summer 2001 to create space for the Union Drive Community Center, and the residence department's master plan at that time called for the rest of the student residence to be demolished by 2007. Three suite-style halls were planned to replace Helser and a west section of Friley.

But enrollment climbed steadily for a decade, as did demand for on-campus housing, and the Helser location proved too popular with students to part with it. Despite its age and mostly original state, Helser Hall has remained full the last 10 years.

Instead, the residence department is investing more than $6.5 million in Helser this summer -- $3.4 million to replace all the windows and nearly $3.2 million to refurbish all 353 rooms and a dozen-plus dens.

Director of residence and assistant vice president for student affairs Pete Englin said the west campus facilities plan he inherited in 2005 would have reduced capacity by 700 beds and cost up to $30 million to finish. The intent -- to offer a mix of housing options for students and create a recreational green space on Helser's footprint -- was worthy, Englin said. But he was reluctant to approve additional debt when Helser and Friley structurally were solid -- and full of students every fall. And from a design perspective, Helser's hallway wings provide a simple structure for the department's house system, which clusters smaller groups, he added.

"The residence hall experience contributes to a successful transition for more than 6,000 new students each year and helps students connect to the university," Englin said. "It also contributes to higher GPAs for every classification, higher persistence from year to year, and greater overall satisfaction with their ISU experience."

The Helser community experience, coupled with its convenient location and lower, non-air conditioned price, creates a high (30%) student return rate from year to year, he said.

Well-orchestrated summer

On a tight 12-week schedule (May 13-July 31), windows and tile floors containing asbestos will be removed, and walls containing the original built-in closets, shelves and dressers will be demolished down to concrete studs.

Julie Hartl Barr, the residence department's manager of building improvements, wove an interdependent schedule that involves a half dozen companies, all of whom pledged to meet their deadlines, even adding employees if necessary. There's little wiggle room in how the tasks fit together, she said.

By early August, new insulated walls will contain upgraded electric outlets, and LED ceiling lights will replace fluorescent lights. Tinted, energy-efficient windows, window blinds and vinyl plank floors will be installed in rooms. All rooms will be painted and furnished with $1.7 million worth of desks, chairs, wardrobes and lofted beds constructed at Iowa Prison Industries. The furniture pieces are free-standing to give students greater flexibility in arranging their rooms.

Hallways will receive new carpet, paint and LED lights.

"This is one of our bigger lifecycle projects, because of the demolition and electrical pieces," said the department's associate director for facilities Roger Graden. "To get it done in one summer will be challenging."

More improvements for Helser

Planned in two sections, the first part of Helser Hall opened in 1957, the second in 1963.

This summer's upgrades are part of a larger picture. Last fall, the department converted Helser's freight elevator to a modern passenger elevator, and next summer, the building's exterior will receive tuckpointing. Also planned is a remodel of all Helser bathrooms for gender inclusivity and more privacy, similar to how the department renovated several east campus residences. Englin said they're also investigating options to add air conditioning to the Helser dens.

And those three suite-style halls in the 2000 master plan? Eaton (2002) and Martin (2004) opened. In place of a third one, the residence department opened Geoffroy Hall on Lincoln Way in 2017, incorporating students' preference for traditional rooms.

Helser Hall exterior contrasts new and existing windows

The first of hundreds of new windows were installed this spring in a ground-floor section of Helser Hall, a welcome contrast to the existing windows on floors above. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

 


Guests galore on campus this summer

Students, faculty and staff share campus in the summer with a variety of camps, conferences and competitions held at Iowa State facilities. Here's a list of summer events expected to draw 100 or more visitors to campus. Email inside@iastate.edu to suggest any additions we've missed.

Event

Date

Venues

Attendance

All Iowa Attack Girls Bring Your Best basketball tournament

May 18-19

State Gym

1,500

Midwest Big Data Summer School

May 20-23

Memorial Union

150

Special Olympics Iowa summer games

May 23-25

Various*

3,000

Transfer student orientation

May 24, July 1

Various*

200 students, 250 guests

Freshman orientation

May 29-June 28

Various*

5,400 students, 9,300 guests

Iowa Simmental Assoc. Jr. Field Day June 1-2 Hansen Ag Center 100
Iowa Association of Business and Industry conference June 4-6 Hilton Coliseum 600
League of Women Voters state convention June 7-8 Alumni Center 100

Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival

June 14-16

Hansen Ag Center

2,000

USA Track and Field Iowa state meet

June 15-16

Cyclone Sports Complex

1,000

USA Hockey 14U camp

June 16-21

Ice Arena*

150

Insuring Iowa's Agriculture conference

June 18

Scheman Building

300

Cyclone Gymnastics Cardinal camp

June 22-25

Beyer Hall*

100

National Cheer Association camp

June 23-26

Beyer and State Gym*

320

Iowa Reading Association conference

June 25-26

Scheman Building

600

Iowa 4-H Youth Conference

June 25-27

Various*

650

Cyclone Gymnastics Gold camp

June 26-29

Beyer Hall*

100

Iowa Swine Day June 27 Scheman Building 500

Universal Dance Association camp

July 6-9

State Gym*

100

Kevin Dresser Skills and Drills wrestling camp

July 7-10

Lied Rec Center*

100

National Dance Alliance camp

July 9-13

State Gym*

130

USA Track and Field Masters Outdoors Championships

July 11-14

Cyclone Sports Complex

1,500

Summer Iowa Games

July 13-14, 19-21, 26-28

Various

14,500

Cyclone Volleyball All Skills Gold camp July 16-18 Lied Rec Center* 290

Custodian Maintenance School

July 22-26

Scheman Building

100

Kevin Dresser team wrestling camp July 24-27 Lied Rec Center* 450

Ag and Food HR Roundtable

July 29-Aug. 1

Various

200

*Events also using residence halls. 


Some lots, streets to close next week for Special Olympics

Special Olympics venues

  • Beyer Hall (swimming)
  • Forker Building (developmental events)
  • Forker courts (tennis)
  • Hansen Ag Student Learning Center (rain location only)
  • Hilton Coliseum (opening ceremony)
  • Iowa State Center parking lots (cycling)
  • Lied Center (track and field)
  • Lied fields (soccer, track and field)
  • Maple-Willow-Larch recreation fields (bocce)

Select campus parking lots and roads will close to accommodate the annual Special Olympics Iowa summer games May 23-25. More than 2,500 athletes will compete in Iowa State venues, accompanied by hundreds of volunteers, coaches and family members.

Events include bocce, cycling, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field. The opening ceremony is Thursday, May 23, in Hilton Coliseum (7-9 p.m.). Spectators are welcome, and admission is free.

Road closures

  • Beach Road: Closed to through traffic from Lincoln Way to the power plant, 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday 


  • South Fourth Street: Closed from Beach Avenue to just west of entrance to stadium parking lots, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday 



Parking lot closures

Portions of lot 100, south of the Lied Center, will close on Tuesday, May 21, for event preparations.

Parking lot closures later in the week include:

  • Beyer Hall: Lot 3, Friday (all day); open only to 24-hour reserve and handicap permit holders
  • Forker Building: Lot 50A, Thursday and Friday (all day); open only to 24-hour reserve and handicap permit holders
  • Iowa State Center: All lots between Center Drive and South Fourth Street, Thursday only (12:01 a.m.-5 p.m.); commuter parking will move to the football stadium parking lots. CyRide will stop for riders at lots S3, S4 and S5.
  • Lied Center: Lots 57 and 100, Thursday and Friday (all day, all vehicles)
  • Maple-Willow-Larch residence area: Lots 56, 63, 80, 89, 90 and 91, Thursday and Friday (all day); open only to Special Olympics or handicap permit holders
  • Richardson Court residence area: Lots 54, 54A, 66, 67, 82, 83, Thursday and Friday (all day); open only to Special Olympics or handicap permit holders

Volunteers

Volunteer check-in is Thursday and Friday in lot S6, east of Jack Trice Stadium. Volunteers and visitors are asked to use the shuttles, which run from lot S6 to the competition venues on Thursday and Friday. Shuttles will not operate on Saturday, and volunteer check-in moves to the Lied Center.


A colorful addition

Colorful steel sculpture outside the Hub

Photo by Christopher Gannon.

Like icing on a cake, art was installed last month on the west exterior of the Hub as the final piece of the historic building's 2018 renovation. The colorful two-part steel sculpture, "Coalesce," was created by Iowa City artist and University of Iowa professor Susan Chrysler White.

Susan Chrysler White and her "Coalesce" sculpture.

Artist Susan Chrysler White at the installation of her sculpture, "Coalesce." Contributed photo.

University Museums' Art on Campus collection now includes six of Chrysler White's works. The other five are:

  • "Exquisite Garden," 2012 painting, office of the vice president for research, Beardshear Hall
  • "Rain Dance," 2012 painting, office of the vice president for research, Beardshear Hall
  • "Zoopsia," 2013 sculpture, west entrance, Morrill Hall
  • "Both Sides Now," 2017 mural, Windows dining center, Friley Hall
  • "Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House," 2017 mural, Windows dining center, Friley Hall

Chrysler White will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Christian Petersen Art Museum this fall.