At its March meeting, the Board of Trustees will be discussing the budget for the fiscal 2013. The administration will give the board a list of their top-priority projects to which it believes money should be allocated. At the faculty meeting that took place last Thursday, the faculty representative to the Board of Trustees reported that the University has now deferred $170 million in renovations. In light of the upcoming budget decisions, we urge the administration and the Board of Trustees to keep in mind the following renovation projects, as their upkeep greatly affects living standards students:

While Usen Castle's primary function on this campus is to house sophomores, it is also an undeniably significant landmark for Brandeis. Built in 1928, it is the oldest building on campus and a major selling point for the Office of Admissions. An article in U.S. News and World Report named the Castle as one of "8 Cool College Dorms." But what Admissions does not tell potential students and what U.S. News does not know is that the Castle is in a serious state of disrepair.

In January 2011, multiple students reported that their rooms in the Castle were leaking, and one student reported that "it was raining in my room" in a February 2011 interview with the Justice. Approximately 120 sophomores live in the Castle each year, making it a prominent and unavoidable residence hall for some students.

The building is also host to two social venues. Multiple clubs host coffeehouses at Cholmondeley's each semester in order to raise money and awareness for their respective causes. The Punk, Rock n' Roll club and WBRS often bring bands to play at Chum's. Any club can rent the space for whatever use they wish. There is also the Castle Commons where events, meetings, activities and even classes—currently the Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies class "Inner Peace and Outer Peace"—are held.

Because the disrepair of the Castle is fairly well known among students, it has become one of the least-desirable dorms on campus. Though it would be a expensive project, it is one that the administration should not put off any longer and make its top priority during 2013 in order to continue housing students in a safe dorm and protect the Castle from falling into disrepair.

Other buildings are also in undesirable straits. Another sophomore dorm—East Quad—would benefit from the administration's attention. Though East is not falling apart like the Castle is, students hold it in low esteem. In order to make the dorm that houses the majority of the sophomore class more appealing, bathroom renovations and modern updates should be considered in order to increase the general standard of living in East.

This would improve the housing situation for nearly 400 students. Similar repairs should be made in most first-year residence halls updating bathrooms, lighting fixtures and kitchens.

The recent interior renovations have made the Charles River Apartments a more desirable dorm. The bathrooms in the Foster Mods were renovated over this past summer. Now that the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center has been repaired, the administration can turn its attention toward fixing more dorms, because the majority of students live on campus and would benefit tremendously from these upgrades.