With its annual efforts to bring improvements to campus residential areas, the Vanderbilt Student Government Campus Services Committee was able to get the promise of $600,000 for improvements to every area of campus living.

According to VSG Vice President and sophomore Lori Murphy, who served as co-chair of the committee while she was senator, the committee tried to get feedback from students about what improvements each living area most needed. After analyzing student requests, the committee met with Plant Operations and Housing and Facilities throughout the fall semester to negotiate the budget and proposed projects before presenting the final proposal to the chancellor.

After the $1.3 million renovation to Kissam Quadrangle last summer, Murphy said she wanted to focus more on Branscomb Quadrangle, Carmichael Towers, and Morgan and Lewis Houses. Because the houses on The Commons are so new, they did not need as many improvements.

Showers and bathtubs in Branscomb bathrooms will be renovated, and the booster pumps in Towers and Morgan/Lewis will be replaced to fix the water pressure, which Murphy said many students have complained of. Three ice machines will be added for a trial period, one each in Branscomb, Vanderbilt/Barnard and Mims Hall.

Flat screen TVs will be added to Cole, McGill and McTeiyre Halls, while DVD wiring will be added to every common area TV on campus so residents can hook up computers or video game machines to any TV and watch a movie. In addition, outdoor seating will be added around The Commons.

Murphy said the committee wanted to focus on improvements for upperclassmen residences because they understood many most likely were not satisfied with their housing assignments next year. She said she was most proud that they were able to get approval for the most important improvements on the proposal, however.

"I think the reason we're so proud of this - besides the fact that we're going to see improvements - is that we're really trying to listen to the voices of the students," she said.

Students are always welcome to attend the weekly VSG joint sessions on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Student Life Center Board of Trust Room. This Wednesday will be the final meeting of the year, and they will discuss the initiative to get a laundry text message alert system.