Ogg Hall = Posh New Dorm?

This morning I had the opportunity to tour Ogg Hall, the newest University Residence Hall at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as part of a campus staff open house. The six-story residence hall, located next the SERF and directly across from Sellery Hall on the corner of Dayton and Park, will replace the outdated 13-story towers of the old Ogg Hall, which will be demolished beginning in September. Ogg Hall, only the second new residence hall on campus in the last 42-years, is named after Frederic A. Ogg, who was a professor in the political science department from 1914 to 1940. Ogg Hall will house 615 residents this fall with a cluster-style set-up. The cost of the new building was $27 million.

The new Ogg Hall is very impressive. Some of my favorite features are the covered bicycle and moped parking area, a rain garden in the courtyard between the north and southwest wings of the building, the spacious rooms (246 ft.), beautiful views of the city skyline, and the vibrantly colored walls. It makes me sad to think how quickly it will be trashed by students. Soon, the gardens will be trampled, the paint scuffed, the bathrooms dirty, and the charm of a shiny, new residence hall, gone. Which leaves me thinking that places like these are way too nice for college freshmen. Aren’t dorms supposed to be somewhat ghetto? Isn’t that part of the experience? Today’s college freshmen are filthy spoiled. Dorm life should not be posh living. As if. And seriously, why do they insist on keeping the name Ogg, a word that is completely synonymous with ghetto dorm life. I'm confused...