A History of Elkton Hall and the University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park, boasts a rich history, evident in its diverse architectural landscape, academic programs, and commitment to student well-being. From the historic halls of the past to modern, state-of-the-art facilities, the university's evolution reflects its dedication to academic excellence, sustainable practices, and a supportive community. This article explores several facets of the university's history, with a particular focus on Elkton Hall and related developments.

The Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center: A Fusion of History and Innovation

The Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center represents a significant milestone in academic facility design at the University of Maryland, College Park. It exemplifies a seamless fusion of historic preservation and modern innovation. By combining historic renovation with new construction, the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center honors the architectural legacy of Holzapfel Hall while embodying the next generation of sustainable academic environments. The Edward St. John Center embodies the University of Maryland’s commitment to sustainable design and operational efficiency. Edward St. J.M. ESJ supports academic classes, symposiums, lectures, and meetings. The wide range of spaces can accommodate small gatherings, as well as large lectures and presentations.

Elkton Hall and Student Life

Elkton Hall is a residence hall at the University of Maryland, College Park. Like many older dorms on campus, it has faced challenges related to infrastructure and student comfort. Some residents have noted the age of the building.

Mold Issues and Adenovirus Outbreak

In recent years, Elkton Hall has been the site of significant challenges, including mold issues and an adenovirus outbreak. In the fall of a recent year, mold was so severe that students were forced to evacuate to hotels. The university also plans to improve air-conditioning and ventilation in Elkton and another residence hall to fix the mold problem.

Around the same time, an adenovirus outbreak affected the campus, with at least 10 College Park students contracting a strain, adenovirus 7, that causes much more severe sickness. One student, Olivia Paregol, who lived in Elkton Hall, died from pneumonia, an adenovirus-related illness.

Read also: Explore Haas Hall Academy

Following the outbreak, contractors or university workers began entering almost every residential room on campus to disinfect anything that is frequently touched, such as doorknobs, desk and dresser tops, drawer fronts, countertops, light switches, faucets, and bed frames.

David McBride, the university’s health center director, noted that the institution hadn’t been able to pin down a pattern of who has contracted the virus, but there wasn’t a “consistent connection” between students who lived in Elkton and those with adenovirus, as cases were also scattered in residence halls across campus.

"Olivia's Law"

In the wake of Paregol’s death, Maryland passed “Olivia’s Law” - an infectious disease mandate that went into effect Oct. 1, 2020. It requires that a response plan to an outbreak be submitted to health department officials by Aug.

HVAC System and Maintenance

Elkton Hall features an air-conditioned building with an HVAC system capable of switching between heating and cooling. The HVAC system is fully automated, utilizing sensors to switch between heating and cooling based on outdoor temperatures. This means a room may be heated at night if it’s cold enough and cooled during the day if it’s warm enough. Each unit includes a fan coil for air circulation.

The university provides regular cleaning services to maintain Elkton Hall. These services include:

Weekdays: Restrooms and lounges are cleaned twice daily, in the morning and ending by mid-afternoon, to minimize disruption to residents' routines.
Weekends: Reduced service with restrooms and lounges cleaned once on Saturdays. No regular services are provided on Sundays, which is a day off for the staff.
Emergency Services: The team remains on call at all times.

Residents are required to take their trash to the dumpsters outside their buildings.

Contrasting Living Spaces: A Tale of Two Dorms

The quality of living spaces at the University of Maryland varies significantly. Walking into Oakland Hall, students pass through large glass doors into a brightly lit lobby with high ceilings and open lounge areas. Residents live in air-conditioned suite-style rooms, which are connected by a bathroom. Laundry facilities and two study lounges are located on each floor.

But just a few feet away in Easton Hall, students squeeze into forced triples. Built in 1965, Easton looks and feels every bit as old as it is, some residents said. It’s a similar situation on South Campus, where pipes line the walls and ceilings of some dorm rooms. Students often bunk their beds in Carroll and Wicomico halls - the only way to fit all the furniture in the room. And in Carroll, the heat is unbearable for some students, as the building has no air conditioning.

Efforts to Improve Campus Facilities

The school is limited in its ability to restore and equalize the campus living, eating and learning spaces. Because they aren’t as efficient as newer buildings, the more historic campus facilities consume more time, money and energy, and they often need a greater number of repairs throughout the school year.

There have been some efforts to update older buildings. Chincoteague Hall, for example, underwent extensive renovations from 2009 to 2011 to bring the hall up to code and transform it into an environmentally friendly academic building. Officials have also spent time updating the dorms. Over the past several years, officials have worked to install air conditioning in many of the North Campus high-rise dorms. Several South Campus dorms - many of the oldest on the campus - still lack air conditioning. Those buildings - which are in close proximity to Prince Frederick Hall, the new dorm currently under construction - are slated to be demolished. The new dorm will have suite-style rooms and spacious lounges similar to those in Oakland Hall.

Read also: Remembrance and Progress

Academic Buildings: Disparities and Improvements

There are stark differences between academic buildings, too. Some university academic departments and schools have made contributions or raised funds in order to update and renovate their buildings. Private donations helped pay for Knight Hall, home of the journalism college, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the Jeong H.

In other cases, the historic value of a building hinders attempts to add amenities such as air conditioning, and often the exterior of the building must be preserved.

Dining Halls: A Constant Evolution

The North and South Campus dining halls were both once on the cutting edge of design and food service. But even back in the day, when the halls were new, students were still dissatisfied with the food provided and the overall experience. Today, the newest dining hall complicates the student dining experience: 251 North, the all-you-can-eat dining hall, which opened in September 2011. Once a week, North Campus residents get to experience 251 North.

The Center for Young Children: A Legacy of Early Childhood Education

The Center for Young Children (CYC) at the University of Maryland, College Park, has a long and distinguished history of providing exemplary early childhood education.

History and Philosophy

The Center for Young Children traces its origins to the University of Maryland Kindergarten established in 1948 by Edna Belle McNaughton. In 1965, an expanded nursery-kindergarten program moved to the new College of Education building. The Center followed the academic University calendar, training student teachers and conducting research to understand how children learn and develop. In September 1993, the University opened a new facility located near Elkton Hall to continue and expand the mission of the Center. 2008 Marked the 60th anniversary of the Center for Young Children. To commemorate this event Director Dr. Favretto, and Assistant Director Anne Daniel researched the history and commissioned four large panels to be created for display at the Center.

The Center for Young Children is dedicated to providing an exemplary early childhood program and committed to fostering the continued growth and development of each child on a cognitive, physical, emotional, and social level. Since children learn best through active involvement, the CYC provides an enriched, stimulating, and safe environment that encourages exploration and experimentation. Children are guided to question, hypothesize, solve problems, and express themselves creatively. Teachers at the CYC respect and understand the uniqueness of each child.

Accreditation and Inclusion

The Center for Young Children has achieved national accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This organization recognizes outstanding early childhood programs which meet and exceed national standards of quality. The Center is licensed by the division of Early Childhood Development within the Maryland State Department of Education. The kindergarten program is state certified and in compliance with the standards for such programs in public institutions.

At the Center for Young Children, the university is committed to the inclusion of all children and their families in a high-quality early childhood environment. They believe that inclusion is a right, and therefore they foster social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development in a safe and supportive community. Their general and special education teachers provide curriculum and experiences that actively engage children to emphasize individual growth. They value partnerships with families and outside service providers so that, through a team approach, they ensure that each child meets their full potential. They welcome a diverse community for the benefit of all children at the CYC.

Professional Development and Assessment

In keeping with the CYC's mission, undergraduate students in UMCP's early childhood special education program are placed at the school for various practicum experiences. Their ongoing presence is an acknowledgement of the CYC's strong teacher training component. Additionally, faculty at the CYC are involved in many professional development activities off campus. The CYC also hosts institutes and workshops for both its own faculty and other area professionals.

The CYC uses The Work Sampling System developed by Samuel Meisels. The components are performance assessment, developmental guidelines and checklists, portfolio collection and summary reports. The Work Sampling System is based on seven domains of learning. The seven domains are Personal and Social, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Social Studies, and The Arts. The structure of the CYC curriculum accommodates the performance assessment aspect of Work Sampling. The teachers are experts at taking anecdotal notes during the children’s work time, meeting times and everyday activities such as outdoor play and meal time. These notes are used to identify strengths and weaknesses in individual children as well as informing the teacher of trends in the group as a whole. Therefore, this information is used to inform instruction for the individual and the group. With the use of digital technology, an important aspect of performance assessment is the photography that demonstrates children’s learning, interests and abilities. Teachers collect hundreds of images for each child. The images are organized according to the learning domains mentioned above. This documentation work then becomes digital portfolios that are comprehensive and in-depth and addresses the development of the whole child. Families are provided summary reports and digital portfolios of children’s growth and development. These reports are also organized by domain and contain specific examples of children’s growth as evidenced by the anecdotal and digital documentation that is collected.

Cecil College’s Elkton Station

Cecil College’s Elkton Station offers convenient access to classes, student services, and community programs in downtown Elkton. Standing at the corner of Bow Street and Railroad Avenue, Elkton Station provides educational opportunities on the same site that Cecil College has occupied since the early 1980s. The state-of-the-art facility opened its doors in 2005 and credit courses were offered at this location for the first time in the College's history. The student learning experience is enhanced through presentation technology and ultra-modern studios designed specifically for dance, music, theater and ceramics.

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