As you have hopefully noticed by now, they are building something next to Sage. Perhaps some of you living in Sage this year are all too aware of this fact, hearing daily the construction workers’ thoughts and feelings at 6 a.m.
This behemoth of a structure is soon to be our new campus center. You may be wondering what will happen to some of the places we’ve become fond of, not only in spite of their charming sixties architecture, but in some cases, because of it. These places include the Union, Downer, Lucy’s, and maybe more importantly to some, the Viking Room.
As for Memorial Union, there is a design concept in the works created by, among others, Director of Freshman Studies Tim Spurgin, mathematics professor Alan Parks, Anne Norman in the registrar’s office, Dean Nancy Truesdell and Provost Dave Burrows.
In this plan, the Union will be primarily for academic purposes. The career center will move to memorial union to give those on first floor of the Mudd Library more space for catching up on the latest “Gossip Girl” episode.
In the Union there will also be the Volunteer Center, study abroad offices, an internship office and Artsbridge so that all “well-rounding” opportunities offered outside the classroom will be in one area.
They also hope to add additional classrooms and meeting spaces to the Memorial Union, some specifically for classes that have field research and community placements.
The VR will be staying exactly where it is so that those getting out of their 3:10 in the coffeehouse need only walk 10 feet to get to Happy Hour on Fridays. Yes, Ron Peck, in case you missed it the first time, the VR is staying put. There are also plans to renovate the VR with the first order of business being an immobile sign that would hang outside — fingers crossed — permanently.
Downer Commons, which we have all come to know too well, is staying put. There has been talk that it would be used for combining cross disciplines or areas of study such as dance and physics. They hope that after some time, the two fields will get through the usual awkward Lawrence grace period, begin to interact and thus see the good there is in those that are different.
Downer could be turned into the coolest single on campus reserved for the highest lottery number. In this probable scenario the ice cream machine and toppings bar would naturally stay and both Hilda and Sandy would always be there to greet you when you retired after a long day.
Also, according to rumors, Lucy’s will be kept on as a banquet facility for events and dinners so that GLOW will always have a place to throw their AIDS benefit dance.
This also means that current Colman freshman have complete rights to brag to Colman freshman next year about the good ol’ days when you didn’t even have to leave your dorm to get a donut at 8 a.m.
Note: The factual information presented is not due to my bitterness that I, and others in the class of 2009, will be leaving just in time to miss out on the greatness that will be the new campus center.
In with the new, out with the old
