ANN ARBOR, Mich. — East Quad at the University of Michigan is a large, newly renovated dormitory with classrooms, a theater, a coffee shop and about 850 students — equal to about 40 percent of the entire enrollment of Williams College in Massachusetts.
Duncan Robinson sat in his new East Quad room in August 2014 with his mother, Elisabeth, and his sister, Marta. They had arrived early, a week ahead of the general student population and the basketball team, which was still touring Italy.
After a year at cozy Williams, the empty dorm felt cavernous and overwhelming to the Robinson family.