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Many of us have wondered just what is going on behind the tarps
and scaffolding at the southeast corner of Johnston Hall. We see the construction workers, hear the tools (at times we’ve
wondered just what it was they doing up there on the roof?!) and smell the tar. We’ve walked past the sign by the info
desk, and wondered just how this construction would change how we use our campus. We huddle in a smaller Hawk Haven, wishing
for more space and more food. We wonder just when our desires will be met.
October of this year, at least at last count. The construction is
going faster than expected. But what exactly will be there for us?
Before spring break a few of us were happy to be included in a tour
of the new construction. Lisa McGuire, Kelly Trueman, Starla Evilsizor, Laura Richey, myself, and a few others were asked
to don hard hats, safety glasses and sign on the dotted line of the release form before stepping past the tarps and into the
construction area. They were smart to make me sign that release for, since I knocked my hard-hatted head into the scaffolding
right away. I hadn’t realized that the hat would make me technically a few inches taller than normal, giving me less
clearance.
So what did it look like past the plastic? Well, it
looked like a construction site! It was dirty and dusty. Walls that I’ve walked past for the last three years were either
gone or changed, making what was once the main hallway of Johnston into a large, open space. Our former Illuminati and Kaos office was gone, but in its place
was a space just as large, with window, no less!
Chuck Mack, leading the tour, pointed out the area that will serve as offices to MMSG and
other important groups and people on campus. A new meeting room will also be added, as well as space for the campus radio
station. Its music and broadcasting will enhance the new community center, which will feature a student union, catering services
(pizza was mentioned at least a few times), high speed internet access for the gamers on campus, meeting space with high-tech
gadgetry, and even tabletops that double as chess and backgammon-style boards.
Large windows will let in the morning sun, yet have been positioned
to keep the building cooler during summer afternoons. New furniture will arrive this fall, and will match the brightly-colored décor. Did I mention that there are windows in the Illuminati/Kaos office? Yes?
Sorry.
All in all, this new construction means that not only will
we students have comfortable perks (and pizza), but so will the community. MUM
will finally have the space and amenities to host the public in a main building. A new performance area is in the works, which
will invite speakers and fine arts performers that desire a smaller space
than Finkleman offers. Training sessions can be held in the larger meeting rooms. The public is invited to use the community
center just like the students will.
All we need is to be patient for a few more months. Soon the
tarps will be pulled down, the grass replanted, the pizza baked. Those of us without
office space will have what we need to continue offering publications and
other services to our fellow students. All I ask is that when you pass our windows, that you don’t press your nose up
against the glass, okay?
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