If you lived in Thurston in the past two years, construction crews have been haunting your bedroom windows bright and early every weekday morning. But did any of you know how much money was being put into this exterior renovation? Considering how ugly the Thurston is, your guess is probably millions of dollars short.

According to a Hatchet article, GW spent $14 million dollars on the re-construction project.  And as the author sadly points out, "renovation costs more than one-third of the building's total taxable value and is the largest exterior building renovation in University history, according to a University spokesperson and D.C. land records."

The puzzling question is why GW decided to even carry through with the project, considering the costs of the construction. Though it can not be disputed that Thurston had serious structural problems, was this really the right path for GW to take?

Those who have either lived or are currently living in dormitory know that what Thurston really needs is an interior renovation. Cramming more than 1,100 students in a nine story building is one thing, but to make five students live together in a room no bigger than a studio apartment is pushing the limit.

Perhaps GW should have just knocked Thurston down and built a cleaner, spacier, and more efficient building. It would've not only been better for the students, but also for the community. So GW, next time you've got a few million burning a hole in your pocket, try asking the students what they want--after all, we live here--and we'll see how far we can make that endowment go.