Adrian College prides itself on providing a stimulating academic culture. It is one of the school’s largest selling points. And that is how it should be, given the point of attending college is to get an education.
Part of that culture comes from the quality of the buildings and equipment provided for us to learn with. Some buildings on campus are of the highest quality. Anyone curious for an example need only look at Rush Hall, which contains some of the best equipment money can buy. Other buildings, unfortunately, don’t quite live up to those standards.
Normally, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. The equipment used does not necessarily determine the quality of the professors or curriculum. These things merely aid and increase the effectiveness of the lessons.
However, in the case of Mahan Hall, the quality of the building itself is actively hindering the efforts of its students. The basement of Mahan has flooded more than once this semester.
For those of you who are unaware, Mahan is the college’s art building. The basement is not full of simple desks, chairs and podiums. Ankle-deep water damaged mat boards, which are used by students to frame their works of art. The basement of Mahan also contains many other important objects that are essential to the work being done by art majors. Time, effort and money were all sacrificed because of water damage.
The worst part is that this has already happened this semester. Having it happen once would be understandable. But the college has a responsibility to fix problems and prevent them from happening time and time again.
This isn’t up to the standards the college. Students who work hard should not be worried about whether or not they will have the materials necessary to present their work.
AC should maintain the upkeep of its buildings to ensure student and their education aren’t affected by outdated architecture. Money could be spent improving the quality of our learning atmosphere, not on the aesthetics of campus. In other words, it should be more important to help current student get the most out of their education versus helping improve the education of prospective students.
The difference in buildings on campus is quite surprising. Peelle and Jones Hall have outdated laboratory equipment, which can be a hurdle for science students. Administration, is, however, taking steps to fundraise for the complete renovation of those structures.
We hear about the many improvements that AC has planned for the upcoming years, which is good. The administration has done a lot of very good things for us over the past few years. That being said, there are areas that deserve more focus. The renovation of our academic buildings needs to be a top priority of the school.