Will Cameron
The Paw Print
Beginning (what will hopefully be) my final undergraduate semester at Adams State College I am inclined to ponder the flurry of activity on campus that seems to promise wonderful things for the classes of the future. However, it seems that I will miss many of the improvements and spend my last semester on a crowded, chaotic campus.
As Adams State enrollment continues to grow I become increasingly concerned that the college may not equipped to handle the record-breaking influx of students.
New construction and remodels have been widespread, if not timely, and increasingly complicated road systems and parking lots make navigation to class an adventure that will likely take its toll in parking tickets.
Because of the late-running remodel on McDaniel Hall, some professors find themselves without offices in which to work and meet with their charges. According to Adams State College President David Svaldi, “Our faculty also deserve praise for their part in improving our undergraduate retention. Students universally praise their ASC professors for their caring approach.” If this is the case, it seems that these members of the faculty also deserve offices, if for no other reason than to be of more service to the students.
Also due to the renovation of McDaniel Hall, many classes appear to have no relation to campus geography. I have a philosophy class in Plachy Hall (not the recently remodeled part), which is no more at odds with its surroundings than my journalism class in the Business Building.
Academic Affairs sent out a notice that classes would also be held in the Coronado Hall lobby, Evans Elementary School, and the Nielson Library, among other places.
It is impossible to deny that improvements to campus are being made, even if it seems that projects continuously run long. The Rex apartments/stadium has been completed and looks formidable.
Ditto for Plachy. The McDaniel Hall project’s completion date has been rescheduled for October 14 due to additional asbestos and heating problems, both surely legitimate concerns.
After the construction is finished, there will still be work to do. The building must be furnished and equipped with new technology. Dr. Michael Mumper, Senior VP for Enrollment Management, is looking forward to the completion of the project. “I’m confident that we’ll have students in there this semester,” he says, “I think that students will see that it is worth waiting.”
Waiting is something that I’m not in the position to do, and patience is not something that I’m qualified to write about. However, for those of you who will be here in the future, Adams State might just be looking up.
What’s Been Said…