Rhoads Hall Relocation

Students returning to Rhoads Hall will notice a change in scenery this semester. The Le Club facility has been removed from the building to make way for a new "living-learning" area for the honors residence hall. Downstairs will be converted into something like a living room, which could be used by individuals or for meetings. The mezzanine above will now house the offices for the University Honors Department and General Education, which were previously located in Holmstedt Hall. "There wasn't really a home for the Honors department," said John Beacon, vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communication. Beacon said the new renovations were added because many honors students lived in Rhoads already, and the Le Club was already going to be moved out of the building due to the new Recreation Center. The area could also be a place for meetings and campus tours, he said. However, he assured that the extra presence of faculty in the building would disturbing to the residents. "People won't be walking over every inch of the building," he said, saying that the upstairs portion of the Rhoads would remain like any other residence hall "We are so thrilled," said Linda Muale, general education coordinator and associate professor of political science, whose office will be moving to Rhoads. "It really makes sense to be so close to the students." Maule said she is excited to be close enough for studends to "drop in" and even excited to eat in the cafeteria once a week. "It gives students an easy oppurtunity to in interact with two offices that are significantly important in many of their lives," she said. Greg Bierly, associate professor of geography and geology and director of the University of Honors Program, said working in a residential building could be different from an acedemic once. "I expect to see a lot more students passing through the corridor," he said. "I'm excited about that, and I think the other staff are excited about that too." Bierly said the renovations could be done by the last week of August or the first week of September, but the offices may move into the building before all of the constructiton is complete. Josh Brown, a sophmore chemistry major, is returning to Rhoads this year. "I am slightly disappointed because I used Le Club," he said. "But it's just moving so it's not really that big of a deal." He said having professors working in the hall might be awkward, but wouldn't be a big issue. "It's supposed to be nice," he said of the renovations.