New CHaSS building wait may finally be over

New CHaSS building wait may be over

            With the College of Humanities and Social Sciences being the second biggest and oldest college at Utah State University, it should be expected that the CHaSS would have its own building by now. The building would be a place for the members of the CHaSS to feel at home; a place where the students can attend class, study, mingle, and even relax. So why hasn’t USU given the CHaSS the building that they have so greatly desire and need?

            Dean John C. Allen, of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, became dean of the college six years ago. Allen has been a huge, if not one of the main advocates for getting a building for the CHaSS. Allen said that they were hoping to break ground a while ago, but the case for a new building is second behind the science building that is currently waiting to be built. Allen said that in order for the CHaSS building to be built, they need about $55 million to fulfill the plans that they have. So far about $45 million has been raised.

            The plans for the new CHaSS building are so detailed and are drawn out to the T. The idea is to create a multi-story building that will connect to the west side of the Ray B. West building and wrap around the backside. The graphics show larger classrooms, stress-free rooms, classrooms that would be more tech-savvy for teachers and students, and lounges to relax. The building has plans for some flooring to be able to soak in light from the electric lights up above and the sun so that the floor below won’t need lights at all because it will be using so much natural light. Allen really wanted to bring in something that would not only appeal to the students, but to anyone who would be traveling through as well. So they created CHaSS Café. The area was imagined to recreate the feel and look of old England; cobblestone flooring, street lamps, etc. It was designed to have such a warm, inviting feel and look to it and when it is finished Allen expects it to do just that.

            “The new CHaSS building will bring a lot of students and faculty who are associated with the college together similar to the business students,” said Yusuf Mumin, a member of the CHaSS. “I think some pros and cons for adding this new building would have to be the fact that all students, faculty and administrators would now have a place they can call home, and all the students would have all their classes in one central place instead of having to walk all around campus to random rooms in other buildings. However, it would be a problem because the current students would have to wait for the building to be built and the construction directly on campus would be a hassle for us students.” Yusuf has been a part of the CHaSS since his freshman year and had actually heard of a potential building for the college, unlike many others. He feels as though having a building specifically for the CHaSS will benefit the community just as the Edith Bowen labs benefit the community. Yusuf also said that he thinks the building shouldn’t be funded with the help of corporations. It should be left for people legitimately interested in academics.

            According to Allen, the members of the CHaSS that know about the plans for the new building are ecstatic. This building is going to be a big change for the school. Allen says it is going to bring in a lot of potential business partners and huge opportunities for the students. To acquire more information, contact Natalie Archibald at 435-797-2796 or Natalie.archibald@usu.edu or Dawn Kirby at (435) 797-9856 or dawn.kirby@usu.edu.