February 27, 2008

Greetings Bailey Residents,

Thank you for living with us in Bailey Hall for the 2007-2008 academic year. In October 2007, Housing Services held a series of resident meetings in the Graduate Apartments. During these meetings, Housing Services collected feedback about the housing needs of graduate students, and shared the possibility of a full renovation for Bailey Hall.

IIT is planning a complete renovation and preservation of Bailey Hall that will begin on June 1, 2008. Our goal is to create a new, sustainable housing community that will enhance your experience as a student at IIT and maintain this historically significant building into the future.

The renovations will be extensive in order to preserve and maintain the Mies van der Rohe exterior design, while creating brand new modern apartment units on the interior. They will involve the demolition and rebuilding of the interior of Bailey Hall as well as major exterior renovation, including new energy efficient windows and new wall insulation. The ground floor and entry areas will be refurbished to preserve the Mies design.

Interior upgrading on the residential floors will result in well-designed apartments and will include carpeting in the halls and apartments, new lighting in the hallways, complete fire safety systems, new plumbing, new electrical and new energy efficient heating/cooling systems.

Housing Services understands that you might want to continue living on campus for the 2008-2009 academic year. We will try to accommodate your housing preference; however, there are four housing options from which Bailey Hall residents must choose. We will work to make the transition from apartment building to residence hall as smooth as possible for all parties and therefore we ask that you inform us of your decision by March 28, 2008. The options for current Bailey Hall residents are:

1. Take advantage of early lease termination by ending your lease before May 31, 2008 without penalty;
2. Request a lease transfer to Carman or Cunningham Halls;
3. Remain in your current Bailey Hall apartment until the termination of your lease. Upon your lease ending, this lease is not renewable.

We are excited for the new plans for Bailey Hall. Please visit our website at housing.iit.edu for additional information. Remember we need to know your decision by Friday, March 28, 2008. If you do not respond by Friday, March 28, 2008, Housing Services will assume that you want to remain in Bailey Hall until your lease ends. Bailey Hall residents requesting campus housing after March 28th will not likely receive campus housing for 2008-2009.

For more information about the Bailey Hall renovation project, please contact Housing Services at 312.567.5075 or by emailing housing@iit.edu.

 Sincerely,

Jennifer Luttig-Komrosky
Director of Housing Services