The Rocket

Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Ashton Ruby WSRU-TV, the campus television station, is housed on the first floor of Vincent Science Hall. It is still unknown if the studio will be moved from the building during the renovations and where it would be located. [Click to enlarge]

Vincent Science Hall has been on campus since 1968 and is now getting ready for a major renovation.

The renovation is planned to start in June 2008, said Herbert Carlson, assistant vice President for Design, Construction and Management.

It is expected to be completed in 18 months and is estimated to cost $15 million.

All of the windows on the outside will be replaced with curtain walls, a new roof will be installed, and a new canopy will be placed on the front of the building, Carlson said.

Currently the departments of chemistry, biology, psychology and mathematics are housed in Vincent Science Hall. When the renovations are complete, in addition to refurbished classrooms, those departments will all have office suites in Vincent, Carlson said.

In May, the chemistry department will be temporarily moving to the Advanced Technology and Science Hall.

The large lecture hall located in the center of the building will have its floors replaced and will be made into two separate rooms to increase classroom space.

"There will also be a study space added in the building so that students have a place to study in between classes," said Mary Ann King, director for Academic Resources.

A walkway will be added that goes through the middle of the building so it is easier to get from one side to the other.

Some students are more than happy to see Vincent get a facelift.

"I think that Vincent is desperately in need of some renovating," said Casey Hartle, a 20-year-old secondary education major. "The confusing set-up is inconvenient, and the worn-out classrooms should be modernized to be up to par with other buildings on campus."

The biology, psychology and mathematics departments will relocate to Patterson Hall at the end of the spring semester.

"It will probably be disruptive before and after it starts, but it will be a better facility for the labs and classrooms," said Jerry Chmielewski, the chairperson for the Department of Biology.

The campus television station, WSRU-TV, is also located in Vincent. Brett Barnett, an assistant professor of communication and faculty adviser for WSRU-TV, said he is unsure of where the studio will be moved while the building is being renovated.

"We have been building up the momentum of the program, and if we have to close it, it's going to hurt us," Barnett said. "To what extent and for how long (it will be closed), I'm not too sure."

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