Rhetoric of a Public Space

Hillcrest Hall

Kate Drees, Mia Smith & Allison Schollmeyer

Rhetoric 1030:0003

University of Iowa

Featured: The main entrance to Hillcrest Hall and surrounding pathways.

Overview

Hillcrest Residence Hall is located on the west  side of the University of Iowa’s

campus. It is one of the largest co-ed residence halls on campus with just over 800

students residing there. In our Rhetoric of a Public Space project, we wanted to get an

idea of how the allocation of funding to Hillcrest in the past as a dorm hall for student

athletes has affected student life as well as the dorm as a community. Hillcrest offers

many different amenities, including a dining hall, a workout center, a laundry center,

study rooms, an instructional technology center, better known as an ITC, a C-store or

convenience store, as well as housing for hundreds of students. It has a long history

and has changed a lot over time, but it remains a very useful space, especially for first

year students as well for returning undergraduates.

Hillcrest Hall happens to be the largest of the dorm buildings on the west side of

campus, and it has it’s own dining hall that is regularly used by students from both the

west and east sides of campus. Hillcrest is surrounded by other dorms allowing those

other students to access and utilize its amenities. The University’s cambuses arrive just

a short distance from the hall, and provide a way to easily get to the dorm building. The

University of Iowa uses this building to create a positive community setting for students

as well as a way to entice future undergraduates to become a University of Iowa

Hawkeye.

Description of Daily Activities         

 Hillcrest offers many different amenities to students. A popular activity in

Hillcrest is eating in the spacious dining hall. From experience, most students eat in the

dining hall two to three times a day on average.

The pool table featured in the main seating area of Hillcrest Hall.

Another activity there is to do in Hillcrest is to utilize the pool table. Students

often play a game of pool in their down time to relieve stress or to just have fun.

Hillcrest also offers an ITC. The ITC is a computer lab which allows students to do work

without having to travel to the library. The ITC is open all day so students can use it

whenever at their convenience. The ITC has a copy machine and plenty of computers

for students to do homework and such. Hillcrest also has a convenience store. Students

can purchase items by using their hawk dollars and the store is typically open until

midnight. The store is purposeful because residents can go to the store and get some

snacks without having to travel a long distance elsewhere. Another activity students can

do in Hillcrest is workout. The residence hall offers a fitness center with equipment for

students to use all day

An amenity Hillcrest offers is laundry. Laundry is an activity residents do on a

daily basis. Hillcrest has one large laundry room, with two smaller ones throughout the

building. Hillcrest has 800 occupants so laundry is an important amenity to have. The

laundry rooms are open throughout the day, so residents are allowed to do their laundry

at their convenience. Studying is another activity students do on the regular at Hillcrest.

The residence hall offers a lounge and multiple study spaces for students to utilize.

Students who live in Hillcrest really enjoy it. It has tons of resources and is very

convenient. The residence hall is large so there are lots of people to meet, and it is a

great place to gain new knowledge and experiences.  The University of Iowa includes all

of these amenities and activities for students in order to entice incoming undergraduates

to stay in the residence halls during their freshman year and for current students to

continue to live in university housing.

Description of Physical Condition of the Site

The enormous structural being that is Hillcrest Hall stands towering over the Iowa

River. Its history revealing itself through its thick, soaring trees and aged red-brick

exterior. The castle-eque edifice, built in 1939, showcases its five brick-encased stories

just as it did when it was first built over 6 decades ago. Windows, strategically placed

every few feet, line the external surface of the building alongside arching double door

entrances for its many guests and occupants to enter and exit. The east side of the

building rests just off of the serene Iowa River on the west side of the University of Iowa

campus.

Featured above: View of the southwest corner of Hillcrest Hall.

To the north of the historic Hillcrest Hall students are able to park their cars for

free between 4pm and until 1am in Hillcrest’s gated, public parking lot. At other hours of

the day students and visitors are able to use the sparce, metered parking spots to the

west of Hillcrest Hall if they are lucky enough to find one unoccupied. Alongside these

meters, ample room is supplied for student athletes and guests to park mopeds and

motorized scooters, and bike racks are conveniently located not far from each Hall

entrance. Looking to the west of Hillcrest Hall lies Quadrangle Hall: one of the few halls

on campus older than Hillcrest Hall. Quadrangle Hall does not have its own dining

center, and so the students housed there are likely to be seen using the Hillcrest Market

Place for dining purposes. An official brick Hillcrest sign and identical, black benches

welcome students to follow the cement-laden path to the Hillcrest Hall entrance.

Featured above: The Hillcrest Hall help desk and main lobby.

Entering the main lobby of Hillcrest, robins’ egg blue, faded navy, and sandy

beige floor-tiles create a compass helping students navigate the large building. A help

desk, cluttered with extracurricular activity fliers, pool sticks, as well as student work

welcome you into the wide open building. The main hallway leads from the lobby into

the main seating area just to the east. This great open space is full of comfortable,

modern couches, a pool table, an ATM, TVs, restrooms, and it is home to the C-store,

full of college necessities as well as overflowing with snacks and beverages.

Featured above: The main seating area of Hillcrest Hall.

Featured above: The Hillcrest Hall C-store.

Off to the east of the seating area is a study room with great tall glass windows

and a breathtaking view of the Iowa River. This study room is a great place to get some

work done as well as relax after a long day of classes. The space runs roughly 35 feet

in length along the Iowa River and is about 15 feet deep leading off of the main seating

area. Brand new study tables and chairs occupy the space while modern couches and

coffee tables line the room, connecting to the style of the adjacent sitting area.

Immediately below this study room, a floor down, is the Hillcrest Market Place.

The stairs leading to the Market Place begin descending off of the seating area

and the pool table. The entrance at the bottom welcomes you in with the smell of freshly

cooked food, and the promise of a warm meal. The Hillcrest Market Place offers a wide

variety of food options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, the Market Place

provides students and guests with a buffet full of options. The choices range from

breakfast burritos with guacamole and salsa, French toast loaded with strawberries and

whipped cream, to simple items such as scrambled eggs, bacon, and oatmeal. For

lunch and dinner, the buffet transforms into an Asian inspired wok, Italian dining center,

including pizza and pasta, an area for Midwestern favorites like meatloaf and corn on

the cob, a grill area, taking specific burger requests, a section for salads and soups, a

Mexican-inspired burrito and taco bar, as well as cereals, desserts, and a waffle bar to

fulfill students’ mid-afternoon cravings. The space provides scenic views of the river

while offering dining space for hundreds of students at a time. Cozy booths for 4 divide

up the dining areas: one large area on both the north and south sides of the market,

with one additional area to the east. Furthermore, square and round tables

accommodating up to 8 students provide extra seating, filling the rest of the space.

Featured above: The eastern-most dining section in the Hillcrest Market Place.

The rest of the building is mostly devoted to living space. On the top 3 floors of

the building there are enough dorm rooms to house 802 students. The paint colors in

each hallway were very popular in the early 50’s and 60’s, and appear to have been

touched up repeatedly since then. Some of the colors featured are burnt sienna, a misty

gray-blue, and an ashy gray-green. Each wall color ties in well to what initially looks like

gray carpet that, on further inspection, is actually a navy-blue with cherry red, sunbeam

yellow, deep forest green, and royal blue aspects.

Featured above: The hallway of the second-floor living quarters in Hillcrest Hall.

The size of the dorm rooms varies greatly depending on the floor that is on, and if

it happens to sit on a corner of the building. Some rooms are able to house up to 4

students comfortably while others may only be roomy enough to house 1. The average,

and most common, rectangular, two-person dorm rooms are approximately 10ft x17ft,

and have air-conditioning and heat in the winter months. The uniform white walls end up

draped in motivational photos of body builders, Hindu tapestries from flee markets, and

group pictures of friends out on the town.

Featured above: Dorm room from the second floor of Hillcrest Hall.

The water from the ancient porcelain sinks have only two temperatures: scalding

and glacially cold. Other than the sinks and small closets in the dorm rooms, there are

tall wooden bed frames lofted high into the air with enough room underneath for a

wooden desk as well as a 3-drawered, wooden dresser. The bed frames hold extra-

long, twin mattresses, and sheets chosen by the occupants of the room. The dorm

floors each have a locked women’s bathroom that can only be accessed by the girls

living on that floor, and an unlocked men’s bathroom that is accessible to all men. Both

bathrooms have toilet stalls, curtained showers, small square lockers, and sinks. The

historic Hillcrest Hall building hasn’t changed all too much over the past 6 decades, but

throughout time it seems as if each occupant has been able to come up with their own

unique story to share.

Stories from the community

Our first interview was conducted over email with an alum of the University of

Iowa, Jay Drees. He lived in Hillcrest Hall for his first two years at the University from

1977-1979. He graduated in 1981 with a degree in finance. We asked him a series of

questions, which he responded to electronically.

We asked him if living in Hillcrest Hall had helped him be academically

resourceful to which he responded by explaining that he felt that there were many

distractions at Hillcrest Hall in the 70’s: music, people in the hall, partying in rooms, and

that it made it harder to find a quiet place to study. Although he may not have been able

to get studying done in the dorm, he explained that as a male student, he had always

felt safe in the hall, knowing the emergency procedures, and that he hadn’t felt

threatened walking back to the dorm at night.

We asked Jay about how he felt drugs and alcohol were represented in the hall

in the 70’s. He explained to us that at that time the drinking age was 18, and so

practically everyone was of legal drinking age. Even though at the time alcohol was

allowed in the dorms, he jokingly stated that, “Dorm refrigerators will hold a case of beer

if stacked correctly, and the drugs were more on the weekend.” He did mention that

drug use was mostly marijuana, which could be smelled in the hallways, and other

recreational drugs were readily available. Drug and alcohol were problems for people

who abused them, and those students weren’t usually around for the next semester.

Jay felt that the dorms were always kept looking nice to impress visiting parents

and prospective students more than anything else. They were kept clean, and at the

time they even had a garbage pickup service that went from room to room to pick up

trash bags on the weekends. He had lived on a floor that had consisted of 75% student

athletes on scholarship, and he felt that the upkeep had been a factor of the allocated

funds going to sports.  

Like many other students, past and present, Jay’s favorite thing about living in

the dorm had been the food service. He said that he, “Never had to put on a coat to go

eat”. His least favorite thing would have been that he couldn’t park his car by the dorm

during the week. This is still a problem today with there being limited parking spaces out

front of Hillcrest Hall, and the parking lot only being open for a few hours in the evening.

One memorable moment that Jay remembers is walking across the Iowa River on the

ice just east of Hillcrest instead of using the bridge, but he would not advise anyone to

try this current day.

As a student living in Hillcrest in in the late 70’s there weren’t many amenities to

take advantage of. The exercise room that can now be found on the first floor of

Hillcrest Hall didn’t exist at that time, and so the students used the Field House located

close by to exercise and play basketball in the afternoons after class. Also there weren’t

as many extra-curriculars available, and so many students joined intramural sports

teams to pass their time.

When we asked him if he had any parting thoughts he said, “My second year I

tried very hard to get out of the dorm and into an apartment, but the rule was you had to

live in the dorms two years. Now I feel it was a good rule. In the dorm, it was easier to

make friends and meet different types of people since you were all in the same

situation. I think it would be tempting to live with people you already know such as high

school classmates, if the the dorm wasn’t required.  Living in the dorm, you either

developed a tolerance for certain people or thought of a way to change the situation.

Either way, it helped you grow as a person.”

Overall, Jay Drees expressed that he enjoyed living in Hillcrest Hall, and he even

thanked us for helping him relive his time there. He felt that he was kept safe, that he

was offered plentiful food services, and that he was able to thrive during his time as a

student at the University of Iowa while living in Hillcrest Hall.

The next interviewee was Ny Gatwas, who is currently a first year University of

Iowa student that resides in Hillcrest. Throughout the interview, Gatwas continuously

praised Hillcrest for its cleanliness, level of safety, and the amenities within Hillcrest for

students. The main benefits that Gatwas indicated she uses regularly are the ITC, study

lounges, laundry room, and dining hall. She also indicated that Hillcrest is kept up to

date and provides a nice living space for current and future students. She stated that,

“Hillcrest is very clean and the rooms are decent for what they are.”, proving that the

University of Iowa cares about the appearance and cleanliness of this residence hall.

She also mentioned that even though she does not typically get involved herself, there

is definitely the possibility to get involved for students that are interested.  

Overall, it is clear that she believes that Hillcrest is a positive place to live. She

mentioned that even though Hillcrest is one of the larger dorms, it is still quiet enough to

study and her hall feels like home. When asked about safety, the student did not

express any feelings of danger while living in Hillcrest. She also praised the work that

the security officers do to keep all of the residents safe. Gatwas explained how the

many amenities that Hillcrest has, such as the ITC and study rooms have helped her

academically. It is clear that this student has benefited from living in Hillcrest in multiple

different ways. Due to all of these positive qualities about living in Hillcrest Residence

Hall, it can be determined that the University of Iowa keeps the hall nice to entice future

students to live there and current students to remain living in the residence halls.

Fiameta Ande is a first-year resident assistant in Hillcrest. As an RA her job is to look

over residents living in a section of the dorm. Her job is to also ensure they are doing

well academically, and to provide resources for students. Currently she is a sophomore

here at the University of Iowa. An interview was conducted through email.

Do or did you find hillcrest has helps you academically?

Ande gave a well thought out response. She says, “I wouldn’t say that living in the

building itself has helped me academically. I would say that living here has encouraged

a more academically enriching environment than if a student were to live off campus.

Residents Education does their best to promote communities that are grounded to

academic success within the university by implementing educational programs,

providing various study spaces throughout each residence hall, and using interactive

logs such as MAP Works to keep up with residents’ success in various areas of their life

… Any sign of concern in these areas are followed up with immediate consultation with

the building Hall Coordinator. So in a way there is an emphasis on academic

achievement. More often than not residents are not left behind if they are struggling

academically and are provided with resources to succeed.”

Do you feel well equipped for emergency situations, e.g. fire, tornado?

As an RA I do feel equipped with emergency protocol solutions to any situation. My job

is to make sure members in my hall community also feel confident and equipped with

solutions when in need!

Do/did you feel drugs and alcohol were a problem in Hillcrest?

Drugs and alcohol are a problem on any college campus in general. Hillcrest specifically

and the drug and alcohol incidents that have been reported have put our buildings at

low numbers comparatively to others on campus. That being said Hillcrest is one of the

biggest dorms on campus so to compare the amount of drug/alcohol related violations

to most of the dorms wouldn’t be fair!

Most memorable moment from your time in Hillcrest?

Most memorable moment in Hillcrest that I’ve had so far was one of the events put on

by our own Hillcrest Association. We had a food drive for kids in need and made this

super interactive event where residents could build a package of food for kids in need

overseas. It was a great opportunity that residents had to give back without even having

to leave their dorm!

Do you think the rooms are a decent size? Dorm room cleanliness?

For the most part it really depends the type of room you get. The singles/ doubles vary

in size and it’s to a pretty unfair extent. You have some people paying the same amount

to live in a box while there are others who can fit nearly three beds in their room. This

building was definitely not designed to give residents an equal living environment even

when they all pay essentially the same price.

Featured: 3rd year resident’s room on the second floor of Hillcrest Hall.

Do you feel like there were enough ways to get involved? Hillcrest association, weekly

activities with your floor?

There are most certainly more than enough ways to get involved on campus through

living in the residence halls (there may be a bias because I am a Resident Assistant and

work for Residence Education) HOWEVER I think the various student organizations that

come to Hillcrest recruiting students to get involved with their clubs/organizations is

more than enough of a resource for residents because they don’t have to search

themselves! Many events are required each semester to be put on for residents in each

hall that RA’s must meet. There are plenty of new opportunities for residents to learn,

grow, and explore within the residence halls.

Fiameta Ande gave well thought out responses to each question. It seems as if

she really enjoys being an RA to students at the University. An RA’s job is very

important because they are typically the first few people students meet when they arrive

to their dorms. This RA gave a different point of view for what it is like to live in Hillcrest

Residence Hall.

History of Hillcrest

        Hillcrest Residence Hall is located on 25 Byington Road in Iowa City Iowa and is

currently utilized to house students that attend the University of Iowa (The University of

Iowa, 2016, para. 3). The architect Seth J. Temple of Davenport, Iowa constructed the

building in 1939 during Eugene Gilmore’s presidency (The University of Iowa, 2016,

Para. 3-4). According to Moninger, Hillcrest originally housed 250 men and was

composed of four different floors. Its construction was completed only two years before

the start of World War II. During World War II, the building was actually rented by the

Navy to house cadets. There were also four additional sections built in the years 1940,

1951, 1956, and 1961. The renovation that took place in 1961 added five stories of

dining, recreation, and storage facilities and the building remains at this height today.

The dining hall was then renovated in 2001 and is still frequently utilized today. Due to

its many renovations and additions, Hillcrest was known as a labyrinth. In a 1961

handbook, students were urged to locate their room before bringing in their luggage

when they moved in (Moninger, 2012, para. 17). Hillcrest was also one of the first

dormitories on The University of Iowa campus, preceded only by Quadrangle and

Currier Residence Halls (UH&D, 2016, para. 4).

        Hillcrest Hall was also known to house many student athletes due to its close

proximity to The Field House, which is still true today (The University of Iowa, 2016,

para. 4). Although Hillcrest originally housed only 250 male students, today over 800

male and female students occupy the building. Currier Hall typically housed female

students, but Hillcrest did house all female students in 1945 due to overcrowding in

Currier (Moninger, 2012, para. 6). Hillcrest returned to all male housing and Burge Hall

was built in 1959 to house female students. Hillcrest was also the largest dormitory on

campus until Burge’s construction. Today, Hillcrest is one of the two main dining

locations on The University of Iowa campus and is the main dining location on the west

side of campus. The dining hall was renovated in 2001 and still maintains a fairly

modern environment. Many student athletes still occupy Hillcrest although, it is not

strictly reserved for student athletes today. As opposed to when it was originally built,

Hillcrest now also features an ATM, computer lab, fitness center, and multiple study

spaces. Although it was the third residence hall constructed on The University of Iowa

campus, Hillcrest still houses many students and has a modern interior.

Assessment of Space’s Argument

The University of Iowa promotes this historic building in order to entice students

to pay the high rates to live on campus and remain living on campus even though there

is no longer a requirement for students to live in university housing. The University

promotes this almost century-old building by sustaining its history while providing

modern amenities to its occupants and guests. The students living in Hillcrest Hall have

access to an outstanding dining center, convenient laundry rooms, a work-out center,

an ATM, a convenience store, a modern technology center, and a great living

environment, and the University of Iowa doesn’t forget to showcase these things as

often as they can. Tour groups are a common sight in Hillcrest Hall. The University uses

this hall as one of their main attractions to lure in prospective students and their families

because of its wide array of amenities. The tour groups eventually make their way into

Hillcrest Hall and down to Hillcrest Market Place for a freshly-cooked lunch provided to

them free of charge. The staff of the University of Iowa provide these guests with lunch

to showcase the beautiful, historic architecture of the building while giving them a taste

of what it is like to live in Hillcrest Hall and to go to the University of Iowa. The tall

windows in the dining hall, overlooking the river and the east side of campus, provide a

wow-factor that can lure in new undergraduates and well as continuously providing a

stunning view of the campus for the University of Iowa students to appreciate during

their time at Hillcrest Hall.

High dorm rates are easily forgotten when there are frequent activities and

gathering opportunities for students, as well as the convenience of being so close to

many other things on campus. The Field House, which is a multi-story gym, recreation

center, natatorium, and training center that also features classrooms, is only a few

buildings away from Hillcrest Hall. Also, for prospective students looking to go into

medicine, Hillcrest Hall is only a block away from the University of Iowa Hospital, as well

as the medical research park and the nursing buildings.  Students and families are

easily convinced that living in the dorms, and especially Hillcrest Hall is worth the high

cost because of the convenience of its location, and the amenities that the hall provides

to its occupants.

Hillcrest Hall is an extremely welcoming space, and on its own does a great job

of enticing students to live inside of its historic walls. The many conveniences that are

provided and the advantageous location of the hall make it extremely popular among

students and families, and rightfully so, the amenities and possibilities for students

outweigh the costs of living in residence halls at the University of Iowa.

Value in Community

        The University of Iowa places a lot of importance on Hillcrest Residence Hall.

The building is very valuable to many of the students that attend the University and the

people that are employed there as well. The students that live in Hillcrest today enjoy a

clean and safe living space. The security officials that work in Hillcrest do an excellent

job of keeping the residents safe where they live. The building is also kept very clean by

the custodial staff employed there. There have also been multiple renovations to

Hillcrest throughout the years to keep the interior of the building up to date.

Hillcrest is also valuable for some individuals in the community that are employed as

custodians, RA’s, and food service staff. These can be valuable jobs for both students

and other individuals within the community. The overall cleanliness of the building

demonstrates that there is enough staff employed to keep up with the amount of

students. Students have also reported that the security officers in the building help them

to feel safe there. There are also a number of student and nonstudent employees that

work at the dining hall. Overall, Hillcrest employs a large number of individuals even for

just one university building. Because it provides a large number of jobs to the

community, Hillcrest proves its value to the community.

        Hillcrest is known to be one of the nicer dorms on the University of Iowa campus

and many of the students appreciate the amenities that it has to offer. These include the

dining hall, study rooms, ITC, and many others throughout the building. Hillcrest also

has a very quiet atmosphere that helps with their academic life. This building provides

students with a safe and welcoming place to live. Also, students that do not live in

Hillcrest can still use many of the conveniences within the building. Currently, Hillcrest is

a valuable part of the University of Iowa campus for students because of its welcoming

atmosphere and the amenities that it has to offer.

Advocate for Change

        Hillcrest is holds a lot of value to the University of Iowa. It has a lot of useful

aspects to it. There is not much if anything that needs to be changed in Hillcrest.

Another issue is the food selection. Many students have a problem with this. Typically,

the dining hall serves the same food throughout the week. Hillcrest does have a salad

bar, but that is about the only healthy station offered. There should be healthier options

available. The food served is usually unhealthy, most students do not get food

elsewhere or can’t afford to buy food, so they have to settle for what is in the dining hall.

The hours the dining hall is open should also be changed.

The marketplace usually closes at 8pm. Some students are unable to eat before

it closes and therefore are left to get food elsewhere. Students already pay a lot for

meal plans so they should not have to spend extra money on food. Other than those

issues Hillcrest is a great place. It is very convenient especially is one resides there. It is

usually kept up very well. It offers lots of amenities which is needed for many college

students. It is located on the west side of campus so the cambus runs there frequently.

It is also wheelchair accessible for those who need it. There are elevators to get to all

floors of the residence hall. The front desk is also open 24 hours a day so students can

always go there for help or to ask questions if needed. Hillcrest offers many things that

all students at Iowa can access.

Log

Group Meetings:

Monday, March 28: Came up with interview questions and assigned tasks for first

four sections. All group members were present.

Thursday, March 31: Came up with argument for essay and assigned work for

next four sections. All group members were present.

Monday, April 4: Kate and Mia worked on overview and draft was polished and

published. All group members were present.

Monday, April 11: Polished final draft and organized everything to post to blog.

All group members were present.

There was also a group chat that was utilized throughout the project

Individual assignments:

Allison: history section, value in community section, group log, sources, interview

with Gatwas, N.

o March 25: Researched information for history section

o March 28: Wrote draft of history section

o March 30: Conducted interview and added that section

o April 1: Wrote value in community section

o April 6: Added log section and edited other sections

o April 8: Edited sources, stories from community, value in community, and

worked a bit on argument

Kate: blog keeper, physical description, assessment of space’s argument,

overview, interview with Drees, J.

o March 26: Interview with Jay Drees, assessment of argument write up

o March 30: Edited stories from the community, physical description,

overview

o April 1: second tour of Hillcrest

o April 5: peer review

o April 7: Pictures of Hillcrest

o April 9: started changes for final draft

o April 10:  Rewrite physical description, overview,

o April 11: Finish rewrite and argument assessment, finalize all paragraphs,

rearrange pictures, paragraphs, and captions. Publish to wordpress and

icon dropbox.

Mia: description of daily activities, advocate for change, overview, interview with

Ande, F.

o March 30: 11:00 pm - 12:00 am

o April 1: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sources

Ande, F (2016, March 29). Personal interview

Sara Epstein Moninger (2012, November 16). At Home on Campus. Retrieved from http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/11/home-campus

Drees, J. (2016, March 29). Personal interview

Gatwas, N. (2016, March 29). Personal interview

The University of Iowa (2016). Hillcrest Hall.  Retrieved from http://maps.uiowa.edu/h  UH&D Admin (2016). Our History. Retrieved from http://housing.uiowa.edu/uhd-admin/our-history