On-campus offices relocate to make way for Ennis Hall repairs

To make room for renovations in Ennis Hall, The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, Disability Services, the Women’s Resource Center and The GIVE Center are being relocated to more permanent locations.

Due to budget restraints and the unavailability of an adequate space on campus, the project has been continuously postponed since its original postponement.

The GIVE Center will be relocated to MSU 131, the current location of The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, The Women’s Resource Center and Disability Services.

To make room for this shift, the current MSU 131 offices will be moving to the Smith House, located between Parkhurst and Wells halls.

Currently, renovations and preparations are in progress at the Smith House under Project Manager Donnie Beasley.

“In the bottom floor of the Smith House there will be a wall taken out and there will be a large conference and meeting area downstairs,” Beasley said. “We plan to upgrade the heating and air conditioning and then the other changes will be mainly cosmetic. We will also be adding a handicap ramp to make the bottom floor more accessible,” Beasley said.

According to Beasley, funds for the renovations have already been allotted and he hopes for future available funds in order to renovate the outside of the house as well. The relocation of The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, The Women’s Resource Center and Disability Services is scheduled to be completed by midsummer.

“It should be a really awesome space for students when we are all done with it,” said Jennifer Graham, women’s center and diversity coordinator. “(The move) gives the diversity program’s services more space to do the kinds of things we need to be doing and it gives us the ability to have a hang out space for students as well as student and staff office space. It also gives The GIVE Center an improved space as well. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

As for Ennis Hall, funding is still waiting for approval before The GIVE Center can move out and the renovation aspect of the project can begin.

“Over the last two or three years we have been hoping for the money to come, but it just hasn’t been allocated yet,” said Kendall Stiles, director of The GIVE Center. “We would like to think that we would be moved over the summer but I think in true reality it’s probably going to be over next winter break or even next summer. Once they get the money (for the project), we will know more realistically the time frame for the move.”

The GIVE Center’s move to MSU will provide a whole new look and format of operations.

“It’s time to move The GIVE Center to the next level,” Stiles said. “(MSU) lends more space for meetings in larger rooms and trainings. We are going to have a whole different look and a different feel. (MSU) will provide us with a more professional look and will help everything be a little bit more pulled together. I am hoping that being over there will lend itself to a lot more networking and collaboration.”

New forms of technology along with online registration and tracking will be implemented into The GIVE Center once the move is complete.

“I’m hoping we will be able to go more green with our new technology as opposed to the paper route,” Stiles said. “The technology and the location, I think, will really help us get more people involved.”

As for the Department of Art, they will be the last to take their new role in Ennis Hall after renovations.

“We already have an architectural firm on board and so as soon as we get funding then we will start getting ready for a general contractor and put the project through what’s called construction management. Hopefully this year we can get some funding to get started, if not the whole amount we need to get the project completed,” Beasley said.

According to SGA President Zach Mullins, the funds come from four places: the Student Activity Budget Committee, the student technology fee, Auxiliary Services and end-of-the-year and general funds.

According to Bill Fisher, chair of the Department of Art, the renovations to Ennis Hall will take about three years and will result in improved facilities.

“The Art Department has grown quite a bit over the past few years and the current facilities really aren’t adequate for the courses (taught) or the number of students,” Fisher said.

Fisher remains optimistic about the opportunities the move will present for the department and the university as a whole.

“(The move is) right in keeping with the university mission in terms of what the best universities in the country offer and promise to their students,” Fisher said. “It’s exciting to see the university support that mission in real terms and that the university would want to provide the absolute best facilities that they can. Especially in times of fiscal restraint like we are in right now, it’s exciting that these funds will likely be released.”

Posted by Brina Potvin on Apr 14 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.