Class of 2009 under Kundestruction

As potential members of the class of 2013 arrive at Ripon College, they pass through the door at the Evans Welcome Center and Cyndi West greets them with her warm smile and ushers them inside. Yet, the Welcome Center didn't even exist four years ago when it was formerly known as Hughes House and seniors on the brink of graduation remember being greeted, not within the glittering walls of the current admission office, but on the first floor of Smith Hall, making their first visit to the college even more of a distant memory.

The class of 2009 could probably be accurately dubbed the 'class of construction' as bulldozers and Boldt workers have been as commonplace during the last four years as printers and professors. As there are always mixed feelings about change, some students regard the renovations with a critical, nostalgic eye and others have adapted, finding mirth in a campus virtually unrecognizable compared to the one they agreed to attend just four years ago.

And as all of the seniors begin to reflect on their time spent within these walls, we are starting to find that it is surprisingly difficult to remember the evolutionary changes that have transformed the campus.

Before the class of 2009 arrived with its suitcases in tow, the bookstore was relocated from the union to a more prominent location in the commons and new life was breathed into Great Hall and Hughes House.

These two tremendous restoration projects involved replacing the medieval lights in Great Hall with more contemporary fixtures and installing a new floor that was not reminiscent of an old rec center. Hughes House, first built as a residence for the college's first president, William Merriman, was extensively renovated in order to accommodate the Admission Office.

Word also surfaced during the summer that our future alma mater was in the process of revamping its logo. The tame Red Hawk and unassuming clock tower were promptly replaced with a fierce bird and streamlined font.

Once our first year was finally underway, many of us recall the extensive mold found in West Hall that forced numerous classes in the spring semester to relocate. We all breathed a sigh of relief, once we could return to our original classrooms knowing that we wouldn't be inhaling any toxic mold particles.

The introduction of the Starbucks also marked that first year with controversy and skepticism. Many students were reluctant to spend their munch money on something that carried the name 'Starbucks,' then a symbol for overbearing corporate America. Others scoffed at the fact that it is really a Sodexo enterprise masquerading as a Starbucks franchise. Since then, the pot of controversy has been taken off the burner.

It's hard to believe that was just the beginning.

Upon arriving on campus for our second year, many were floored to see that, the Pepto Bismol colored Comm. Plus had received a fresh coat of paint and a new name, Collaborative Learning Center. Seniors and juniors, for the most part, rebelled and refused to utter the acronym CLC but three years later an outsider would struggle to find someone who could point him to Comm. Plus.

Not long after the house on Thorne Street received a facelift, the Campus Apartments, just a few blocks down were being built from the ground up. Buzz about the living spaces' kitchens and private bedrooms spread rapidly but Residence Life had trouble filling its beds with seniors for the first two years.

Simultaneously, construction began on what is now Todd Wehr's elevator and once spring was finally in the air we saw, as sophomores, the metal grates removed from the building's facade. Sun, at long last, poured into rooms on the second and third floors.

Eventually, we left for summer break and, when we returned, Todd Wehr had been transformed. The breezeway was filled in with smart classrooms and the clear glass allowed everyone an exceptional view of them.

As, yet another, academic building received some much-needed attention, the administration began to turn its eyes to student recreational facilities.

The summer between seniors' junior and sophomore years involved an intensive overhaul on the pub. The mailroom was relocated to the place of the scarcely remembered link lounge and the poolroom and pub eating area were made into one, uninterrupted space.

Simultaneously, physical plant was moved to its new residence on lower campus and its previous location was transformed into the current student activities area and conference rooms. Also, the space that has been affectionately dubbed the commons 'living room' was created, including the installation of a fireplace and incorporation of furniture and other design elements.

Our senior year has also included a number of moves from the administration to ensure that President Joyce's dream of a pedestrian campus is realized. Once the school was finally given control of Seward and Elm streets and the blueprint was approved by all necessary parties, demolition was ready to begin.

As construction had to be postponed late into the first semester, which prohibited grass from growing, many students were critical of the amount of mud that was created and even more have raised questions of the difference that the 'concrete boulevard' has made, considering it was required to be big enough to accommodate a fire truck. Only time will tell how the new, 'greener' campus will be viewed in the coming years.