At the beginning of this semester, MU opened its new Student Center after Phase One of the center was completed. With the opening of the new Student Center came the closing and destruction of Brady Commons—a popular hangout for many students.
Now that the Student Center has been open for nearly five months MU students are beginning to voice their displeasure with it. Students have complained about not having a place to meet up and socialize with their friends.
The Prelude program, held in the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center, was developed to alleviate this problem. The event was advertised by word of mouth and on Facebook. But the location of Prelude is considered a roadblock because the Black Culture Center is located away from the center of campus where most classrooms are located.
“It’ll never be able to replace the old Brady Commons,” MU senior Daryl Scales said. “The joys of Brady Commons were at any time, there was always a set of people walking through Brady.”
Student Center spokeswoman Michelle Froese said students requested more space when they voted in 2005 to renovate and expand Brady Commons. The project is far from complete. Phase Two, in which the old Brady Commons building is expected to be rebuilt and connected to the Student Center, is scheduled for completion in 2011. It will include an event space, six restaurants, a copy center and several student lounges — about three times more lounge space than what is currently available, Froese said.
How pleased are you with the new Student Center? Do you think more students will warm up to it once Phase Two is completed?