With renovations of the MSCX building planned, students have turned their attention toward other sites that they feel need to undergo changes on Troy University’s campus.
Malone Hall, Cowart Hall, and the nursing building are a few of the areas in question.
Students have expressed concern for the current state of Troy University’s Malone Hall. The building welcomes many students who wish to have their personal creative works displayed within the hall.
“I would say that the photo department could definitely use some work,” said Cody Foran, a senior graphic design major from Troy. “Irby Pace, a teacher here, has done a really good job of renovating it by himself, basically.”
The renovations, Foran said, may keep him from getting the most from his class period.
“My class has had to help him work and break down a lot of stuff because he’s completely taking out cabinets and redoing everything,” Foran said.
Regardless of the rennovation within the photo department, Foran is overall pleased with the atmosphere Malone Hall provides.
“I don’t go to every classroom here, so I’m not sure about some classrooms,” Foran said. “Malone is doing pretty well as far as I see.”
Irby Pace, an assistant professor of art, explained his experiences with assimilating Malone’s photo room in the shape it is currently.
A picture taken before the renovation showed bare walls, scattered debris, and the lack of useful materials inside the room. Pace and his students painted the walls and ripped out old equipment that was rotted.
Pace said the mold had been present for several years.
The academic year of 2014–2015 was spent getting approval from the school to begin renovation, Pace said. From August to now, various improvements have been made to the photo room, and it has made a drastic change from its previous state.
The school’s approval and support were crucial to the renovation of the building, but primarily the work came from the students.
“The only way it was going to happen is if I took it upon myself to do it,” Pace said. “I couldn’t have done it without my students. They are the best students I’ve had.”
It was exciting to tour the halls of Malone for the first time, and I was fascinated by the various artworks up on display. However, I did notice that several hallways were cluttered and debris littered the floor. The art and theater students in this hall would benefit from a makeover of several areas. Renovating Malone would allow for more room to display work or study effectively.
Hannah Edwards, a sophomore English major from Corner, talked about her experience in Cowart Hall as a resident assistant. Cowart Hall was last renovated in 1993.
“A lot of our amenities are outdated, such as the laundry room,” Edwards said. “We only have room for two of each unit per floor, and first floor doesn’t even have one.”
Madison McPhillips, a junior nursing major from Florence, also gave input as a residential assistant in Cowart.
“I am so thankful for the people on our maintenance team because I know they do their best,” McPhillips said. “The air conditioner in this lobby has been fixed five times, and it’s died eight times. That’s my biggest problem.”
Personally, I love living in Cowart Hall. Our elevator is quick (though it has needed repairs a few times so far this semester) and the rooms were left for the newcomers in fairly good shape — nothing that a strategically placed poster can’t fix. But I think several residents will agree that the colors adorning the walls are less than appealing.
As a nursing major, McPhillips also had several comments on needed renovations towards the nursing building.
“Nursing students are awesome, and we have nothing down there. Our building is falling apart,” she said. “We are so lucky to have that space, but with the high influx of nursing students, we don’t have classrooms that are big enough.”
According to McPhillips, aspects that are obvious contenders for renovations include a lack of space and a much-needed food store.
“We need a store of some sort down there because a lot of us have class from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. and we have to walk somewhere to get lunch,” she said.
The inability to get lunch proves to be an issue because it prohibits a steady workflow.
“When you’re already studying, you don’t want to have to walk up the hill to go get lunch,” she said.
Final comments included a method of transportation for nursing students that would be greatly appreciated, as getting to and from class proved difficult.
“They could work on a more reliable shuttle system that goes down by the building because nothing goes by the building,” McPhillips said.
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