New Year, New Look: Summer Enhancements Across Assumption’s Campus

Since May, teams from the Office of Business Services have been working on the University’s four first-year residence halls— Alumni, Desautels, Worcester, and Salisbury—along with Brian Kelly ’83 Stadium and a long list of smaller projects across Assumption’s 185-acre campus.

Students moving into Alumni Hall this week will find fresh paint and updated rooms and corridors. In Desautels, every restroom was gutted and rebuilt. Worcester and Salisbury were refurnished and received a ceiling refresh. Across the residence halls, carpet came out, and almost 100,000 square feet of luxury vinyl plank went down—a surface that is easier to clean, more durable, and hypoallergenic. Students will also find brand-new mattresses in each building—a total of 849. 

“It’s exciting to see the residence halls get this kind of upgrade,” said Shrishti Das ’28, a resident assistant in Desautels Hall. “The Alumni and Desautels signs in the breezeway lighting up at night was a fun surprise.”

Each hall also gained a lounge with its own identity: a quiet study space in Alumni, a gaming and movie room in Desautels, an honors lounge in Worcester, and a sports lounge in Salisbury.

Alumni Hall will receive an Assumption spirit upgrade, with custom wallpapers in common areas designed by Brenna Aylward ’24, graphic designer in the Office of Integrated Marketing.

At Brian Kelly ’83 Stadium, crews laid new turf, upgraded the lighting, and completed a series of safety improvements—enhancements that both student-athletes and Greyhound fans will feel on gameday. Crowds can experience these changes first-hand at the football home opener on Thursday, September 3 at 6 p.m. against Kutztown University.

Other smaller, but still important, changes were made as well, with a focus on beautifying the appearance and experience of campus. Laundry equipment was replaced. Key roadways and walkways were repaved, HVAC and building controls were updated, and several accessibility projects moved forward. 

“Every project we completed this summer was about more than improving buildings. It was about investing in the people who call Assumption home,” said Joe Realejo, assistant vice president for business services. “When our students return, I want them to see and feel the difference. I want them to know that we take pride in this campus, because this is their home.”

The work continues just past the campus entrance, where additional signage and lit crosswalk signs are set to be installed along Salisbury Street by the City of Worcester to make the crossing safer for students walking to and from campus.