Class of 2009 under Kundestruction
Elizabeth Kunde
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Features
As potential members of the class of 2013 arrive at Ripon College, they pass through the door at the Evans Welcome Center and Cyndi West greets them with her warm smile and ushers them inside.
Yet, the Welcome Center didn't even exist four years ago when it was formerly known as Hughes House and seniors on the brink of graduation remember being greeted, not within the glittering walls of the current admission office, but on the first floor of Smith Hall, making their first visit to the college even more of a distant memory.
The class of 2009 could probably be accurately dubbed the 'class of construction' as bulldozers and Boldt workers have been as commonplace during the last four years as printers and professors. As there are always mixed feelings about change, some students regard the renovations with a critical, nostalgic eye and others have adapted, finding mirth in a campus virtually unrecognizable compared to the one they agreed to attend just four years ago.
And as all of the seniors begin to reflect on their time spent within these walls, we are starting to find that it is surprisingly difficult to remember the evolutionary changes that have transformed the campus.
Before the class of 2009 arrived with its suitcases in tow, the bookstore was relocated from the union to a more prominent location in the commons and new life was breathed into Great Hall and Hughes House.
These two tremendous restoration projects involved replacing the medieval lights in Great Hall with more contemporary fixtures and installing a new floor that was not reminiscent of an old rec center. Hughes House, first built as a residence for the college's first president, William Merriman, was extensively renovated in order to accommodate the Admission Office.
Word also surfaced during the summer that our future alma mater was in the process of revamping its logo. The tame Red Hawk and unassuming clock tower were promptly replaced with a fierce bird and streamlined font.
Yet, the Welcome Center didn't even exist four years ago when it was formerly known as Hughes House and seniors on the brink of graduation remember being greeted, not within the glittering walls of the current admission office, but on the first floor of Smith Hall, making their first visit to the college even more of a distant memory.
The class of 2009 could probably be accurately dubbed the 'class of construction' as bulldozers and Boldt workers have been as commonplace during the last four years as printers and professors. As there are always mixed feelings about change, some students regard the renovations with a critical, nostalgic eye and others have adapted, finding mirth in a campus virtually unrecognizable compared to the one they agreed to attend just four years ago.
And as all of the seniors begin to reflect on their time spent within these walls, we are starting to find that it is surprisingly difficult to remember the evolutionary changes that have transformed the campus.
Before the class of 2009 arrived with its suitcases in tow, the bookstore was relocated from the union to a more prominent location in the commons and new life was breathed into Great Hall and Hughes House.
These two tremendous restoration projects involved replacing the medieval lights in Great Hall with more contemporary fixtures and installing a new floor that was not reminiscent of an old rec center. Hughes House, first built as a residence for the college's first president, William Merriman, was extensively renovated in order to accommodate the Admission Office.
Word also surfaced during the summer that our future alma mater was in the process of revamping its logo. The tame Red Hawk and unassuming clock tower were promptly replaced with a fierce bird and streamlined font.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
'07 Grad
posted 5/12/09 @ 7:46 AM CST
Just wanted to thank you for writing this article. I always thought construction updates were lame when I was in school, but now I live out of state and have no idea what's going on. (Continued…)
household movers
posted 5/20/09 @ 5:18 PM CST
Thanks for this article, it was a well written form of what could otherwise have been somewhat of a lame construction recap. Good job!
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