Due to the Tally renovations, student organizations are being moved to Harrelson Hall until 2013.
By Elise Heglar
As the Tally Student Center undergoes a complete renovation process, student organizations currently located in this building and Witherspoon Student Center are moving their operations to Harrelson Hall.
The temporary move will be in effect through 2013, when the new Tally Student Center is scheduled to be finished.
According to Jonathon Smith, student centers president, Harrelson was chosen as the temporary space because it has more room available than other buildings on campus. The current plan is to allow the space to be used until the new Tally is unveiled and then to demolish Harrelson completely due to its old structure.
“We were trying to figure out where to move everyone and Harrelson was the best option,” Smith said. “It was chosen because it had the most space.”
The University is trying to make Harrelson more appealing to students, Smith said. The project’s aim is to make Harrelson feel like a student center as much as possible while Tally is being worked on.
“We want to re-brand Harrelson on campus so students will want to be there,” Smith said.
The top floor of Harrelson is being converted into a lounge, complete with skylights and seating for students. Marycobb Randall, former student senate president, said she believes the new space will become a frequent hang out space for students.
“I think that it will become a favorite spot on campus just because it is so unique and newly available,” Randall said.
According to Smith, Harrelson boasts a large amount of office space for the organizations making the move, thereby making the move less frustrating.
“There is plenty of space to do what we need to do, and that was the most important thing,” Smith said. “We want to make sure to give students the space that they need,” Smith said.
Raising awareness about the move is something the University is taking very seriously, Smith said. Since new students could potentially be confused about the location of the student center, the move is scheduled to be finished before the fall semester begins.
“We want to get the word out to students about what is moving and when they’re moving,” Smith said.
TJ Willis, advisor for the Union Activities Board, said he thinks the process of moving has been quite an experience. UAB will be moving everything from their current Tally space to Harrelson in early June.
“It’s been interesting to go through the process,” Willis said. “It’s nice to see the history of everything we have done while packing.”
Although the move is a long process, Willis said he thinks moving closer to the Brickyard could be a positive change for the organizations. Being close to the central social space on campus will provide easy access to students and good opportunities to raise awareness about events, Willis said.
“We’re going to be in a convenient location to the Brickyard where there is already a lot of traffic. It’s going to be a re-energized place for students,” Willis said.
According to Randall, there will be several unexpected, yet positive, outcomes with the move. Randall said she thinks the new location will attract more students to Harrelson and help to re-vitalize the organizations that are housed there.
“I see this transition space as a real opportunity for growth in membership and engagement of the student body,” Randall said.