Physical plant crews at Southeast Missouri State University and contract labor are working this summer to spruce up the university's dormitories.

Much of the renovation work is being done at the Towers dormitory complex and Dearmont dormitory.

"We try to go into the residence halls and do as much upkeep as possible so that they present a nice appearance and, more importantly, a nice living environment for students," said James Biundo, director of university relations.

"Some work is done every summer in preparation for the fall, but this summer there is a greater emphasis on the residence halls than there has been in the past," he said.

About $250,000 is expected to be spent on dormitory renovations this summer on the university campus.

Paul Carr, director of residence life at Southeast, said a number of hallways in the Towers complex are being carpeted. "This will decrease noise and provide a more attractive appearance," said Carr. "Eventually, we hope to be able to carpet all of the residence hall floors."

In addition, Carr said, new ceilings are being installed on some floors and incandescent lighting is being replaced with fluorescent lighting, which is more economical and provides better lighting.

In Towers West, old draperies in the lounges are being replaced with mini blinds, he said.

"We don't have enough money to do everything on all of the floors (in Towers) so we are trying to spread it out so that every floor gets at least one thing done to it," said Carr.

"We are going to be spending some money on redoing lobby areas in some of our buildings to make the entryways more attractive."

About $50,000 has been budgeted for lobby improvements. Carr said lobby improvements are planned for the Towers complex and Dearmont dormitory.

Carr said the work will be primarily cosmetic. "A lot of these lobbies tend to be institutional and tend to be fairly sterile."

Some of the work will involve recovering furniture, rearranging furniture and making some changes in wall decor, Biundo said.

At Dearmont, plans call for the courtyard to be expanded and tables and chairs installed so that students can eat outside in nice weather.

"It will take some of the pressure off the cafeteria at Dearmont," said Carr, adding, "It gets a little crowded in there.

"We are also looking at installing fans in the lounges of Dearmont. Dearmont is not air conditioned so students have requested for some time that we put fans in there."

At Cheney Hall, the smallest dormitory on campus, plans are being made to have a separate kitchen, study room and television lounge, Carr said.

Currently, all three functions are handled in one big room. "It's all there in one big room and people have complained about the noise," he said.

"We are going to be doing some painting of public areas in Greek housing. Since we have a new room-painting policy, we are not painting inside the rooms," he explained.

"We are just initiating this policy to see how students respond to it," said Carr. "We are hoping to encourage students to do some painting of their own."

Under the policy, university students will be able to paint their dormitory rooms. "It's been done at a lot of other campuses," Carr said. "It's an attempt to allow students to personalize the space."

The university is also seeking to make the dormitory areas more livable by constructing two to three sand volleyball courts to serve the Dearmont and Myers Hall areas and the Towers and Greek complexes. The entire project is expected to cost about $6,000, university officials said.

Carr said sand volleyball has become popular with students. "It seems that sand volleyball is a growing phenomenon among college students."

Carr said the renovation work in the dormitories is being done by Kiefner Brothers, a Cape Girardeau construction company, and the university's physical plant personnel.

The renovation work is slated to be completed by mid-August.

Students, said Carr, should notice some visible improvements when they return to the dormitories this fall. "We really want students to know that we do consider them to be a top priority."