Campus Changes Please, but Puzzle

Thanks to the pandemic restrictions that have been put in place, the Houghton campus has had to adapt physically in a number of ways. Yet, the campus isn’t the only thing that needed to adapt. Students also are being forced to confront the new changes on campus, and the response is slightly mixed.

The Dean of Students, Marc Smithers (‘08), headed the Emergency Management Team when the pandemic initially struck. Since then, the “Preparing a Residential Education Plan Team” (P.R.E.P. Team) has been made to handle the pandemic situation which Smithers is still a chair of. 

Speaking of chairs, in the words of Smithers there was a lot of thought put into the furniture around campus. As he says, “There was intentional social distancing of all furniture, we removed furniture from Java 101, [and for] the campus center we made sure that all the furniture would be conducive to social distancing.”

When asked about new classrooms Smithers explained that there are a lot of different spaces being used as classrooms which haven’t been utilized in the past, such as the Chapel and the south end of the Dinning Hall. But these classroom settings may change based on the needs of the students and professors.

Interestingly, some of the largest changes, according to Smithers, are being done on the outside. “We specifically want to encourage people to be outside more. We created the outdoor patio space through a generous gift, and tried to put canopies up, but those quickly blew away. We’re doing all we can to encourage people to be outside.” During the planning phases of this semester Smithers explained that The P.R.E.P. Team considered adding “Ventilation” to The Big Three, but ultimately decided against it.

Some big changes also took place in regards to the fitness areas on campus. In an interview with Matthew Webb, the Director of Athletics, he said, “We have adjusted a lot, particularly relative to the use of our indoor facilities. Access to our indoor facilities is now more limited and we have a new “registration” system to allow access to our indoor facilities which is a brand new process for everyone.” Webb continued, “We were actually thinking at one point we might not be able to open at all [but] my staff did a LOT of work in putting together a plan so we can be open!”

Interestingly, one of the most controversial changes is in the way signs have been handled in the Campus Center. “We have a lot of signage around campus to point out to people what our expectations are,” Marc said, “and custodial helped us to identify where on campus those signs needed to go.”

Some student reactions have been less than enthusiastic though. “I think a lot of [the changes] are good, especially for safety of everyone,” Louis Schriver (‘22) explained, “but in the [Campus Center] doorways that come from the side from Roth Hill the first [door] is an entrance but the stairs there are UP ONLY. So if you’re actually following the traffic laws you need to walk into the building, walk to the other stairwell, and then go down, which is really annoying.” Demetri Court (‘24), a new London Honor’s student echoed these same concerns when he said, “I think most of the [measures] are making sense and are not too intrusive, but the signs on the doors – and on the stairs as well – I got big problems with.”

Overall, it seems like most changes have been met positively, as according to Smithers, “I have a lot of pride in our students and I think that that’s been affirmed most every day that I’ve seen students back on campus. I’m just very appreciative.” And, in the words of Regan DeWeese (‘23), “I’m proud of the policy they’ve put into place. I think they have a good sense of what they’re doing and I feel safe!” 

What are your thoughts on the changes around campus? Glad? Confused? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!