Campus Life : Eye on OU : Year in Review

Another brick in the wall

By Deanna Kerslake, Staff Writer
   Megan Krause, Campus Life writer
   
June 3, 2007 | 11:07 a.m.

Ohio University is known for its aesthetic value: the beautiful brick buildings, the charm of Uptown, the nature that surrounds us all. Buildings around campus can add character and build traditions. Whether it’s your home away from home or just a place to grab a Chalupa, you know they will always be there. However, the 2006-2007 school year saw the end of some dearly beloved structures as well as the birth of new homes and lively campus centers.

No longer “thinking outside the bun” on Court Street 

The Taco Bell located uptown at 41 South Court St. closed April 23 due to financial reasons. The business couldn’t sustain itself when the students leave for summer break, said Taco Bell manager Beth Blair. Taco Bell has moved to its new location at 978 East State St. According to Blair, as far as she knew at the time of the Taco Bell closing, there was talk that a McDonald’s would be moving in to the location.

Oasis closes its doors 

Despite a “Save the Oasis” campaign, the 102-year-old building, a restaurant/convenience store owned by the university, was closed November 21 because of expected competition from the new Baker Center, the need for repairs and a plan to improve Grab n’ Go options. A fight to save the Oasis in order to preserve both jobs and a piece of tradition at Ohio University ensued with the creation of a Web site, savetheoasis.com, as well as with the pro-Oasis T-shirts and chalking that was seen around campus. At of the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the University Terrace site of the old Oasis sits idle. When the restaurant was closed, one option was to make the building into a health foods/technology store; however, the verdict of what will take the place of the old Oasis is still undecided at the close of the ’06-’07 school year.

‘Pimp my dorm’:  building new, renovating old

 A new dorm that has dominated the corner of South Green all year, currently referred to as 63 South Green, will finish its construction and will begin to house students in the fall of 2007. The new $24 million dorm built beside Nelson Dining Hall will have doubles, singles and singles with a private bath located on the first floor for students with special needs, according to the OU Housing Web site. The rooms will be set up as suites, with two adjoining rooms sharing a bathroom—testing the cleaning skills of residents as they will be responsible for regularly cleaning the bathrooms in their suites and maintaining all bathroom supplies, explains the OU Housing Web site. The building will also require electronic access cards (or student’s IDs) to enter, a feature currently found in only a few other dorms on campus. Continuing with residence hall updates and renovations, the 1958-built Lincoln Hall also began renovations during spring quarter ’07.

Baker Center blows minds

On June 2, the 183,300 square-foot Baker Center opened. It gives students a way to avoid dining hall disasters without spending their precious pocket money, provides an alternative to trekking up Morton hill and helps students save the Earth through composting.

According to the Ohio University Web site, a $60 fee was tagged onto student bills when the new student center opened. Recently, students were informed that the dining dollars that were added onto their meal plans for winter and spring quarters would only be provided for incoming freshman during fall quarter of next year. Midnight movies were also moved from The Athena to Baker Center and are now free for all students. Similarly, Baker Center offers many activities for students along with centralized offices for select campus organizations.

After Baker Center opened, the air began to buzz with student complaints and rumors concerning the new building. For example, students claimed that Baker is sinking because it was built where the Hocking River used to run through campus. Also, fire alarms would sound in West 82, sending students outside during winter quarter. According to the Baker Center Web site, the alarms were due to poor ventilation, and they were dealt with as quickly as possible. Students also pointed out that Iraq was misrepresented as an ocean on the map mural on the fourth floor. A Facebook group was created to draw attention to this and other flaws.

Former Baker Center's fate fixed

The building formerly know as Baker University Center, located on Union Street, was abandoned in favor of the new super center. After the opening of the new building, the original center was left with nothing but a sign informing the public of the new location of the student union. After some time, a banner proclaiming that the old Baker Center would be adopted by the Scripps College of Communications was hung.

According to the College of Communications Web site, the communications school plans to renovate the building, including connecting the old Baker Center to the Radio and Television building. It will also have a town square, a newsstand and a coffee shop so that it may still be a place where students can meet. By 2012, they plan to have the five schools in the Scripps College of Communications under one roof; however, Scripps Hall and Sing Tao will still be in use.