The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/balch-hall/)
Renovations are a common sight at Cornell, and one of the most significant projects recently completed on North Campus is the update to Balch Hall. The all-women’s dorm, known for its historic Gothic architecture, has undergone a transformation that blends its historic aesthetic with a modern element, creating a unique living experience for students.
Cornell freshmen are all too familiar with these scenes: leaving their cozy rooms on Saturday night and tumbling back into soft beds (very) early Sunday morning, or throwing their backpacks next to their half-spilling closets before tiredly climbing up into the top bunk. Freshmen dorms represent more than just a shelter for many students, which is why I think it’s important for us to learn about the legacy and history that surround North Campus.
Balch Hall — home to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s college bedroom, old-fashioned “sink rooms” and the Instagram account @bugsofbalch — is about to get a makeover.
Students are navigating how to quarantine while living in houses and when to quarantine with tests increasingly hard to come by; they’re contact-tracing and making public health decisions for themselves — all while trying to take classes from home, with no real accommodations for virtual versions.
Cornell has its own Asbestos Management Program that includes an annual abatement plan and steps to address incidental disturbance of asbestos-containing materials, according to Cornell’s Environmental Health and Safety website.