A plan to renovate the first floor of Mary Graydon Center next summer is in the works. The plan would include moving the bathrooms, newspaper racks and information desk; knocking down the wall between the Tavern and lounge area; and repainting and reflooring the Tavern. The renovations will be paid for by the money that was originally appropriated for the scrapped bridge project that would have connected the walkway to Butler pavilion and MGC. The overarching goal of the project is to make sure that "someone's home" at MGC at all times.
While there's no disagreement about the fact that MGC is sorely in need of renovation (there are three different types of flooring in the Tavern alone), the proposed renovations might not do what's needed to make MGC more homey. The flourescent lighting and faux leather couches give the building a definite conference room atmosphere. Moving the newspaper bins won't fix that.
Also, there usually is someone home in MGC. That someone, however, has either managed to fall asleep across three couches or is a super-stressed, over-caffeinated undergrad trying to finish work and ready to snap at the next person who speaks to him.
Other schools have huge student unions with fireplaces, tons of seating and sometimes even bowling alleys. AU has MGC. We probably don't need a huge student center, though. Most of our relatively small undergraduate population lives off-campus and many students who want to meet up with friends do so at the numerous offerings off-campus.
One good thing going for the whole project, though, is the administration's desire to incorporate student input in the renovations, and they do deserve kudos for that.
So whether you think MGC should be a Harry Potter-style common room or you're fond of the flourescent lighting, keep in step with the plans and make your voice heard.
