By Lauren Albright ′16
The fall semester is right around the corner and that means summer is coming to an end. While the summer is a time of relaxation for most people, the Rhodes Physical Plant may argue otherwise. They only have two months to make the campus shiny and new before the fall semester starts up, and the hardest part: everything they renovate needs to look like it was never changed. That’s right, many of these changes will be hard for the first-years (and even returning students) to spot since the campus will look almost exactly the same as it did on their last visit. And that is the Physical Plant’s goal, to improve, modernize, and add elements that make our campus the beauty that it is while maintaining the famous traditional, collegiate look.
Many academic buildings had some big renovations this summer. To make Rhodes Tower, the physics building, completely handicapped accessible, the Physical Plant created an extension on the elevator shaft in order for it to reach the very top floor. Now the elevator shaft is taller than the tower! The Frazier Jelke Science Center also experienced some big changes this summer. First of all, the stage in the amphitheater is GONE! And, you’ll find that the infamous (and impossible to open) doors have been upgraded and have traded places with the glass window/message board.
Another academic building that underwent some construction is Clough, the art, anthropology, sociology, and psychology building. In order to make space for our wonderful faculty of these four major departments, the Orgill Room has been turned into brand new, spacious offices. While many will mourn the loss of this enormous meeting room, new offices are a necessity to give our professors a little more breathing room.
On a non-academic building note, there is some big news for Bellingrath residents . . . a kitchen has been added to your residence hall! Instead of sneaking over to West Village and using the upper classmen kitchen, Belli residents now have a place to cook family dinners and do some intense baking. On the other side of campus, the BCLC has acquired some brand new locker rooms. Still rocking the red and black, the new locker rooms offer a more private and space-efficient area. And the most exciting additions that the athletic facility has welcomed this year are the new lights on the football field! Now we can attend some games under the lights and enjoy an atmosphere reminiscent of high school’s Friday night football. I can’t wait!
Needless to say, there has been A LOT of activity while everyone was away. Now you know how stressed the campus must be since all of these things had to be completed before move-in day! The beauty of the campus enchanted many of you when you visited, and Rhodes works hard to make that happen every time a new face enters the gates. The best part is that despite the changes, the campus you visited at the end of senior year still looks and feels the same.