There is a variety of residence halls for freshmen students to pick from which can have a major impact on their first-year experience here at Colorado Mesa University (CMU). In this column, I will share my experience living in Bunting Hall (Bunting) during my freshman year.
Bunting, a towering 5-floor dormitory is located at the southwest corner of campus, adjacent to the Jac Kephart Fine Arts Building and Grand Mesa Hall.
Bunting is the essence of luxury on campus as you are surrounded by Grand Junction’s most pristine locations, including Domino’s, Taco Bell and “The Treehouse.”
In all seriousness, Bunting’s location caused the most issues when living there. Because it is tucked away on the border of campus, Bunting is rather distant from many campus facilities such as most lecture halls, Hamilton Recreation Center, and the University Center.
The parking lot which most Bunting residents use is not paved, for whatever reason. You can bet on tracking plenty of mud into your car during the wet months of winter and spring.
Additionally, you have to walk past the balcony of the Treehouse (and whatever that may entail) on your way to your car. For my friends and me, this entailed being jeered at by Treehouse drunkards on multiple occasions. Although more comical than malicious, I still thought it was odd that a dorm of first-year students was across the street from a notorious party-house.
As I previously mentioned, Bunting is an all-freshman dorm outside of the Resident Assistants. At times this caused Bunting to feel a little high-schoolish because of a sense of semi-constant supervision from older adults.
Small issues aside, however, I actually enjoyed my time at Bunting. Built in 2011, the newer hall stands out as one of CMU’s more aesthetically pleasing buildings.
Bunting features suite-style dorms with two rooms connected by a shared entrance and bathroom area. Individual bathrooms are one of Bunting’s biggest perks. Personally, I hate community bathrooms, and Bunting was one of the few dorms available to freshmen without community bathrooms.
The rooms themselves have a well-designed layout and provide ample storage room. I also liked being able to share a dorm with two other suitemates, while still being able to have the privacy of being alone with my roommate.
Every floor has a common living area with a kitchen, lounge, study rooms and vending machines. The second floor has a covered patio my friends and I enjoyed spending time at. I was very satisfied with the interior and exterior design of the building.
Overall, my Bunting experience went well and was a great first step to transition from living with my parents in high school to full-blown adulthood. 7.5/10
