Rooms in Taylor Hall have an historic touch – appropriate for a dorm built in 1938. From the third floor’s hardwood floors and slanted roofs to the basement’s rooms which once served as campus dining facilities, every floor has a different-sized student rooms and a community lounge for you to study, socialize or conduct meetings. Taylor accommodates 106 women from all areas of majors and campus involvement. Taylor residents are proud of their diversity and putting their academics first.

“One of my best stories was when my friends and I watched the Super bowl in the 2nd floor lounge. We had a ton of snacks and just hung out enjoying the commercials and the game. Taylor Hall is a good place to just be yourself, as if it is your home away from home, not just a dorm.
The girls are very welcoming and friendly. Once this year, while I was doing my hair to ready on a Friday night to go out, I mentioned I needed a jean jacket for the night. I didn't expect anyone to help me, or supply me with one, but one of the girls down the hall offered me hers to borrow. It was completely unexpected, but so nice of her. It reminded me of sharing closets with my sister at home. Taylor Hall is a comfortable and homey place to live, and it was an easy transition from my life at home to the one I have now here at Hastings College.”

 

Hope Geiger – Current Student

Hometown: Sidney, Neb.

 

“I absolutely love the exposed brick walls and hardwood floors found on the third floor of Taylor Hall. The vintage atmosphere helps create a homey environment, making the transition from home to college a bit easier. Dorm life gives you a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends, and network with your peers. I've had a wonderful experience during my first year in Taylor Hall, and anticipate many more memories in future years!”

 

Brooke Ballou – Current Student

Hometown: Wilsonville, Neb.

Meet the Residence Director at Taylor: Lori Hergott '91

History with Hastings College: I graduated from Hastings College in 1991 with a BA in English. I started as the Resident Director of Taylor Hall in August of 1996. I added the Housing Director duties some years later. Off and on over the past fifteen years, I have been an Advocate and taught Living and Learning at HC to incoming first year students. Currently, I am taking classes toward my MAT in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English and English as a Second Language (ESL).

How would you describe your dorm and its residents? Taylor Hall is very unique.  We have a wide range of students living here which makes for interesting dynamics.  Music, track and field, rodeo, drama, basketball, volleyball, writers, computer wizards, pre-law and pre-med, education — you name it, we have that student living in Taylor Hall.  Somehow they manage to build a community and find common interests with others on their floors and in the building.  

All the rooms are a different size and shape and the students love transforming their rooms into their home away from home. There is a gathering space on each floor for the residents and their friends to watch TV and movies, study, chat, or just hang out. We also have a workout center in the lower level lounge for those who don’t want to walk to HSU to exercise. We provide a full size refrigerator for each floor since the dorm size ones don’t keep ice cream frozen and aren’t large enough for that pizza box full of leftovers. Other great items we offer are a full size kitchen for everyone to use, purified water system, iron and ironing boards for each floor, a daily World Herald newspaper, and an ice machine on second floor. It’s a friendly place to live but is also quiet enough for students to sleep and study during quiet hours.

What is your favorite thing about HC? I like feeling like we’re all one big family and our main goal is to make this the best experience for our students. College isn’t only about the academics; it’s also important that students learn about life and about themselves.

What is your favorite thing to do in Hastings? I love going for walks around town and the campus.  Not only are there lots of interesting and beautiful things to see, but the walking paths are safe and fun to walk on.

What are your hobbies and interests? I like to read, exercise, take photographs, attend college activities, garden and can the vegetables I actually get to grow. Don’t ask me how to grow potatoes!
 
What is your favorite movie of all-time?  I think “White Chicks” is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.  One day, I watched it three times in a row with my daughters, and we laughed hysterically every single time.
 
When you have had roommates, what quality or trait did you most appreciate?  I think the thing I appreciated the most was the ability to communicate. Most issues are small and easily taken care of if you actually talk to each other and get the problem resolved quickly.

 
If you could have any superpower as a residence director, what would it be? I would love to give my students the maturity to see what’s truly important in life.  I’d love for them to have the wisdom of someone about 10 years older than they are so they make wise decisions.
 
People would be surprised to know that… I’ve actually never been a traditional student. I entered the Air Force right out of high school and have always attended school as a 22+ student so missed out on the bonding experiences the normal students get to enjoy. I really wish I could have had that bonding with fellow students like I see every year in Taylor Hall.