Rebuilding of Armstrong Hall, good or bad?

Out with the old and in with the new. The Armstrong Hall project and construction set to start in 2022 will benefit students and save the University money in the long run.

We as students are either in classrooms or doing homework for the majority of our week, so having a space that allows us to maximize our learning is a must.

With the planned renovations coming in 2022, Armstrong Hall is set to be demolished and moved near the #MavFam sign next to the Performing Arts Center.

By doing this it will open up a ton of space near the center of campus for us students as well as become an inviting space for working on homework, collaborating with peers, or enjoying the outdoors to relax.

Taking its place is scheduled to be centennial plaza along with a green space. This can be beneficial for students as it will give them an additional study space as the CSU mall study tables are quite popular during the summer and fall seasons. 

Offering a green space will also be another asset visually and physically to the heart of campus. 

But besides the outside, more importantly is how the inside will look, regarding the planned renovations. 

The inside of the classrooms is what most students will be curious about especially when methods of learning have been evolving each year.

Linear learning has been the traditional style in schools and colleges across the country. But most can agree there have been additional ways of teaching that have integrated its way into a regular basis in the classroom. 

We as students have seen first hand a lot of classes prioritizing peer to peer collaboration as well as small groups. 

If you’ve taken classes in Armstrong Hall you can agree that the lecture style classes where all the desks face forward are a tad outdated as most of the desks are bolted to the ground and unable to move around. 

Armstrong Hall being rebuilt will hopefully promote classrooms with a greater chance for collaboration as this is a key concept in modern learning. 

However, with all new remodels there and pros and cons. One of them being the location of the new Armstrong Hall as it will not be connected to other buildings on campus. As a result this would also make Nelson Hall a sole building unconnected from the rest of the campus.

This is an issue since most of the campus buildings connect and act as tunnels for students so they do not have to bear the unpredictable Minnesota weather.

Also to note with all remodels it is going to cost the University money. Although, the current Armstrong Hall is costing more money in maintenance than it would be to rebuild.

Overall upgrading buildings on our campus will impact all students as well as set up opportunities for success in the future.