Weatherford Hall undergoes a dramatic renovation and will house students this fall

CORVALLIS - For many years, Weatherford Hall lay in a state of elegant corruption, its dark beauty as tattered and soiled as Miss Haversham's wedding gown. Rumors of ghostly faces in some of its vacant windows were not surprising, after all, there's nothing more romantic, yet eerie, about a palatial structure that once thrived, but now has fallen into decay and disuse.

But in the grand exorcism that is renovation, Weatherford's ghosts were expelled, its darkness and damp sent to the other world, and a new glorious life and beauty has filled the building. Friday night, some of Oregon State University's biggest fans and supporters filled the decade-empty residence hall with laughter and stories as they participated in a college-style sleepover in celebration of Weatherford's re-opening.

"It's a totally different place," enthused Jim and Karen Schupp as they wandered the third floor hallways of the enormous residence hall, trying to find their way up to the fifth floor balconies. Jim lived in Weatherford in the 1970s, and brought his wife Karen to see the structure in the midst of renovation, and both were amazed at the dramatic transformation, which took more than a year of intense work.

"It's like they put a whole new building inside," Karen said. The pair were planning on wearing kimonos during the sleepover robe contest held at 10 p.m., and then were headed to their temporary dorm room, where they were sleeping on bunk beds in true college style.

"I'm glad I'm still young!" said Karen, referring to the dubious pleasure of a night on a bunk.

Candace Zepp, a senior in philosophy, is one of the lucky students chosen to live in Weatherford, which is a residence hall targeted to entrepreneurial and creative students participating in the Austin Entrepreneurship Program. Visiting faculty live in apartments within Weatherford to enhance the interaction between students and professors, and computer labs, study rooms and other features are all aimed at promoting a constant atmosphere of creativity and learning.

Zepp was one of many Weatherford students helping direct visitors through the massive building.

"That way," she said as guests wandered past, squinting at nearby map to try and locate their room. "Either you'll fall out a window or you'll find it."

Zepp loves living on campus and has done so all four years she's attended OSU. Her best friend was chosen to live at Weatherford, and since Zepp is still trying to find creative ways to mold her passion for sports and writing into a successful career, she thought the Austin program might be perfect for her.

"I'm excited about this opportunity," she said, flinging herself down for a brief break on her bed, which was covered by a whale-decorated comforter. "I like that OSU is doing this. The cookie cutter way is not always the right way. College is what you make of it."

Jerry Mason, class of '65, bustled into his bunk-bed filled room and plopped down his suitcase, mourning the fact that his wife decided not to accompany him on this campus adventure. Mason, who now lives in Portland, donated to the Weatherford project because he liked the idea of giving special support to students who may be creative and business-oriented, but not always strong in academics.

"The whole idea is just timely and well thought out," said Mason, a real estate investment broker who, by his own admission, wasn't a great student at OSU.

"I was in awe of the guys pulling down amazing grades," Mason recalled. "But what it taught you was how to stay in the game when it wasn't fun. You learned how to take a hit and get back in the race."

Some of the strongest students academically, he said, often burnt out after school.

"They never learned how to work," he said. "I was tickled to death just to graduate."

In Weatherford, Mason believes students with great ideas will find support and a space to pursue their unique vision. Those students, he said, are not afraid of work, and amazing things will come of the program.

"This is like a giant Petri dish," he said. "We'll see what will come. They will be amazed."

Mason thinks OSU is visionary to create a program so focused on such an unusual, but potentially successful, group of students.

"What they've got with this loose organization leaves a lot to chance, and chance implies risk," he said. "The administration has got to be pretty ballsy to put together a loosely defined and hard to judge (program). It's great. It's dynamite!"

Meanwhile, the hallways began to fill with alums, donors and their families, all eager to see the transformation of a dilapidated building into a vibrant, state-of-the-art residence hall. Wine was flowing, as were stories of the old days, when the balcony doors could lock behind you, leaving students cold and stuck outside.

While room positions have changed, ceilings have been raised and new additions such as a cybercafé have transformed the space, it is still Weatherford at its heart.

And as students fill the dorm rooms during move-in day today, Weatherford will truly come alive again.

"You get (students) together," Mason said, "and they just spark off each other."