Following the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year,  Morgan State University has closed both Cummings House and Baldwin Hall for renovations to be completed over the next year. President David Wilson announced the closures of the dormitories from May 2023-July 2024 earlier this year in January. 

Baldwin and Cummings are both legacy buildings, meaning that their amenities were past their expected time of use and had to be replaced, leading to them being updated. 

According to Larry Jones, assistant vice president of the university’s Office of Public Relations and Douglas Gwynn, director of Residence Life & Housing, the point of the process is to eventually have the inside of the dormitories look brand new, similar to the new Thurgood Marshall Apartments. Now that renovations have begun, the building’s insides are gutted and only beams hold their structures up. 

The residence halls together make up 184 beds combined. Cumming holds 104 beds and Baldwin holds 80. Once renovations are complete, the number of beds in both dormitories will go from 184 to 179 due to accommodations that will have to be made during construction, but the new Thurgood Marshall Apartment’s renovations will make up the number of missing beds.

The university has seen a high amount of requests for single-style rooms from students. Once remodeling on both residence halls is complete, both buildings will have single and suite-style rooms, which will effectively lower the bed count. Rooms in both buildings will have private bathrooms. 

“Morgan has a five-year to seven-year renovation plan for dorms alongside other buildings on campus.” Gwynn said. “All freshmen are to stay in either on-campus housing or in Lord Baltimore [Hotel]. Once beds open up, students can return to on-campus housing.”

Knya Crutchfield, sophomore business administration and multiplatform production major, lived in Cummings before it was cleared out for revamping. 

“Having lived in Cummings last year I think it’s worth it to renovate because the facilities and spaces were outdated, which makes it a little harder to have a great living experience,” she said. “Although I do believe the timing in which they chose to renovate was not ideal seeing as there is an influx [in enrollment numbers]. ” 

Other students share similar sentiments, but Jazmyn Watson, a freshman nursing major, misses the prospect of staying in dormitories like those currently offline.

“I would rather stay in Baldwin because [I would live in] on-campus housing, and I wouldn’t have to be so far away when I want to come eat or do any fun events,” Watson said. “All of my classes would be closer instead of having to wait on a shuttle to come get me.” 

Raziel Stebbins, senior elementary education major, looks forward to the upcoming renovations of residence halls like Baldwin and Cummings. 

“Since the acceptance rate continues to increase year by year, there should be as much housing as possible,” she  said. “By renovating these buildings, it will limit the chance of students having to be housed in hotels and other alternatives.”

One thing’s for sure, Morgan has some huge aesthetic changes to look forward to in the near future.