Nearly 4,000 East Halls residents returned from their snowy winter breaks to find their commons under renovation and their mailboxes and bookstore in an unfamiliar place.

Findlay and Johnston Commons are currently undergoing massive face lifts, part of a renovation cycle that began five years ago with the remodeling of Waring Commons in West Halls.

Barry Scerbo, director of food services, said because students' needs have changed since many of the structures were built more than 30 years ago, the University has tried to "concentrate on providing a broader range of services" to accommodate those needs.

The Findlay and Johnston renovations' goal is to make the commons more open, "along the lines of a mall," Scerbo said.

Included among the many changes will be the relocation of the post office to the courtyard between Findlay and Johnston Commons. The space where the post office was will be left open.

In addition, the East Halls Bookstore will be moved and expanded to two-and-a-half times its previous size. The study lounges will be renovated to provide students with a more personal atmosphere "where students can curl up with a book in an oversized chair," Scerbo said.

The project, which will cost about $3 million, is being paid for by the Office of Housing and Food Service Operations. Because no general funds go to housing and food services, they will use money from the deferred maintenance fund -- which is used for any renovations or repairs that may occur during the school year.

Meanwhile, mailboxes and the East Halls Bookstore have been moved to Fisher Hall, which has proven to be an inconvenience to some.

Anessa Hileman (sophomore-health policy and analysis), who lives in Hastings Hall, said, "The post office is only convenient for the people that live in the towers."

The renovations' timing has left some students scratching their heads. For many students, the commons serve as a shortcut to their dorms away from the harsh elements of winter.

Chris Nacios (junior-health education) echoed the sentiments of many students when he said the University should have done the work last semester when the weather was less harsh.

Scerbo said because of the complexity and size of the project, which contractors estimated would take eight to nine months to complete, it was inevitable that the commons would have been closed down at some point in the school year. It was a choice between having the commons closed virtually the entire year or for the Spring Semester and summer.

The East Halls student government organization approved the timetable in an agreement with Housing and Food Services last year, with the goal of completing the project by Fall Semester of 1994, he added.