Posts by Greg Jordan-Detamore

Many former Keeney residents were shocked when they returned to campus to find that the building received a major facelift. But this summer’s changes hardly end there.

Today’s Herald featured a spread that breaks down all of this and next summer’s housing changes, which aim to create a more uniform progression of housing from freshman to senior year. Since we’ve already given you a photo tour of the new Keeney, we now bring you inside some of the other renovated dorms.

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This changes everything.

Living in Keeney has been known to have its advantages and disadvantages. For a long time, Keeney Quadrangle has been defined as a hub of activity due to its large concentration of freshmen first-years (+).  Keeney was also defined by the condition of its interior: not so great (-). The furniture was old, the bathrooms were gross, and kitchen and lounge space was scarce.

As part of a larger plan for dorm renovations, Keeney is being renovated in two phases. The first phase, which occurred this summer, overhauled and reconfigured student rooms and created new “magnet lounges” (with fancy kitchens!) on the top floors. Next summer, the bathrooms and hallways will be renovated, elevator installation will be completed, and the building will be split into three separate sections. Check out BlogDailyHerald’s tour of the new and improved Keeney after the jump.

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Everyone loves free pizza.

If you’re in the library and are looking for a little more free food than was what was handed to you last night, head on down to Pizza Nite, taking place at 9 p.m. tonight at the SciLi and at the same time tomorrow at the Rock.

Pizza Nite, a semesterly tradition, is a night unlike all others: Friendly library workers bring out boxes and boxes of pizza by the stack, feeding the hungry masses. Depending on the crowds, it can one of the more epic free pizza events out there.

(Gate risotto probably won't come on such a fancy plate...)

Culinary Manager Aaron Fitzsenry is serving up fresh risotto at the Gate tonight! Get it while it lasts…

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Take a break from the stress of the housing lottery, and head over to Jo’s, which is hosting a Year of China special from 6 to 10 p.m. tonight. The special menu will include fried rice, egg rolls, dumplings, blossom salad and sesame noodles, according to culinary guru Aaron Fitzsenry.

Beyond food, the special will also feature “a Chinese gown fashion show, calligraphy and musical and dance performances,” according to the Dining Services website.

Time to take a break from that spicy with spicy kielbasa, and grab yourself some egg rolls.

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Can’t wait to take a peek inside the new fitness and aquatics center? We took a tour yesterday, so we’ve got you covered!

The building has three components: the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, the Nelson Fitness Center, and the David J. Zucconi ’55 Varsity Strength and Conditioning Center. See today’s Herald for more information.

Thanks to Project Manager John Cooke for the tour. Photos by Emily Gilbert.

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Last year on St. Patrick's Day, the Ratty had decorate-your-own cupcakes.

It looks like the Ratty is having a Valentine’s Day special, as the desert listed for today’s lunch is “Decorate Cupcakes and Cookies.” Yum!

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Today, the Blue Room will be having a special involving ice cream. To keep things mysterious, the food spot has been leaking details via twitter.

They’re also copping our tagline, Making Mondays Better™ (c/o Tim Natividad). ANYWAY, there’s only one way to find out what it is…

See ya there. Image via.

“Have you ever wanted to take a class from skilled culinary professionals?” asks today’s Morning Mail. “Do you want to improve your basic cooking skills?”

Dining Services has the answer! According to the information page:

We at Brown Dining Services’ Sustainability Initiative are pleased to offer Brown students on meal plan the opportunity to participate in cooking classes this semester! The classes will highlight the behind-the-scenes of Dining Services: students will cook delicious meals in the Ratty Bakeshop from locally-sourced food with the help of Brown Dining chefs Aaron Fitzsenry, the Culinary Manager for retail outlets, and Dave Chabot, the Executive Chef at the Faculty Club.

If you’re interested, you have until Feb. 23 to sign up, though there are only 20 spaces available, so participants will be chosen by lottery. For more info, check out the sign-up page!

But… let’s hope their classes don’t involve hot ham on a bulky roll or Saturday Night Jambalaya (it’s never served on Saturdays).

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For the next several weeks — starting tonight — burritos will be the Monday special at Jo’s! Go get ‘em!

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