A recent engineering survey of Usen Castle—the oldest building on campus and a sophomore dorm—has concluded that while the building is in need of many repairs, it is still safe for students to live in.

Rumors that Usen Castle is structurally unsound and unsafe to live in have circulated around campus the past few weeks, with many speculating that it will not be used for housing next year. According to the Department of Community Living’s webpage, Usen Castle and the adjacent Schwartz Hall house 120 sophomore students each year.

Director of Community Living Tim Touchette wrote in a Jan. 24 email to the Justice that “none of these decisions have been made yet” regarding whether the Castle will be used for housing next year, but Vice President for Operations James Gray wrote in an email to the Justice on Feb. 6 that the Castle “is safe for our students to live in, and it will be included in the next housing lottery.”

Some repairs and maintenance have been made to the Castle over the past few years, but a much-needed full renovation has not yet been completed. According to a February, 2012 Justice article, the Castle was set to undergo repairs in 2012 after a Board of Trustees meeting revealed that the University had “deferred $170 million in renovations” on campus, including necessary long-term renovations to the Castle.

The University has spent the past few months conducting an engineering survey of the Castle’s interior and exterior structures to determine what renovations are necessary, which Gray announced in an email sent to the Brandeis community in mid-December. According to Gray, several different companies were responsible for conducting the engineering survey, but the architectural firm CBI Consulting will be the company primarily in charge of analyzing the infrastructure. The Castle has been roped off with caution tape since mid-December, and Gray has told residents in several emails sent in mid-December to be aware of falling debris and other safety hazards.

Gray wrote in an email to the Justice that the University is “aware that there are issues that need to be addressed” with regard to Castle safety and repair, noting that while Campus Operations is still reviewing the engineering survey’s findings, the building is safe and habitable. Decisions on renovations have not been made yet, but Gray wrote that once the University has a “better understanding of the necessary improvements,” they can begin “outlining next steps.”

Usen Castle is the oldest building on the Brandeis campus. Dr. John Hall Smith built it in 1928 as a part of Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery, but it was inherited by Brandeis in 1948 and converted into student housing. A U.S. News and World Report article from 2010 listed the Castle as number one out of the top 8 “Cool College Dorms” in the country and it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Students have complained about Castle safety issues in the past. A September 2012 Justice article stated that a public safety officer injured his ankle climbing the Castle fire escape because some steps were not properly attached. Justice articles from both Feb. 2010 and Feb. 2011 give multiple reports of leaking roofs that ruined residents’ possessions and left a great deal of water damage in several rooms. The Feb. 2010 Justice article also stated that one student’s ceiling collapsed from the heavy rain, forcing him to switch rooms and move into Hassenfeld Hall in East Quad.

Rachel Voss ’17, a current Castle resident, said in an interview with the Justice that while she likes living in the Castle, she is also fully aware of the structural and potential safety problems. “The roof leaks everywhere in Tower C and pieces of the ceiling sometimes fall,” Voss said. “There are definitely some roof problems. I don’t feel unsafe in my room, but if I lived on the top floor, I might feel like the roof would cave in on me.”

Other students who currently live in the Castle have also complained about leaking roofs in the recent weather conditions and one resident was forced to switch rooms after a hole formed in her ceiling.

Several representatives from Campus Operations did not respond to requests for comment.