A new science building and dormitory among potential projects for the College in the coming years
Ian Benson
News Editor
Future Wooster students will be seeing new construction as the College looks to improve upon its current campus. On the agenda in the next few years are enhancements or projects in Mateer Hall, McGaw Chapel and a new dormitory.
A new science building still remains in the early stages of planning, though it will not move beyond that for a few years. However, Mateer Hall, the home of the biology and biochemistry departments, is in desperate need of improvements. Mateer, opened in the late 1960s, was built before the rise in popularity of the biochemistry/molecular biology department. These departments have seen an increase in the number of students and faculty in the building. They also require specific labs and equipment, differing from what is currently in place. An ad hoc committee last year toured facilities at colleges in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which all featured recently renovated or newly built science buildings. The committee used the tour to gather ideas for any potential buildings.
The planning committees’ efforts join the ranks of other recent projects undertaken by the College. Hygiea Hall, the school’s former clinic, was demolished to construct Morgan Hall in 2002 to accommodate the growing psychology department. Other noted recent construction projects include the Scot Center, Bornheutter Hall, Gault Manor and the closing of portions of College Avenue and University Street to form the now pedestrian-friendly academic quad.
A new dormitory is also a current priority, due to the growing number of admitted students. As it currently stands, the College faces problems in terms of housing all students, such as difficulty with placing students who return from a semester abroad.
In addition, Bissman Hall technically violates local zoning codes, with the building and the accompanying parking lot designed for the rooms to be used as singles, not doubles. A new dormitory would go a long way to assuage the overcrowding and placement problems facing at the school. One potential location for a new dorm is the current tennis courts. The courts would be relocated closer to the Scot Center.
Also on the list of potential projects is McGaw Chapel, which is both underused and out of place on the campus. However, no concrete decision has been made regarding a plan for the building, which dates from the early 1970s. Potential suggestions range from repurposing it to outright removing it and replacing it with a new academic building.