Construction workers continue to make progress on the Mulvane Hall renovations, as the top and main floors are completely gutted. Because of the construction, most of the departments in the building have relocated to the Harter Union basement and the computer science labs. Professors have moved their offices to other campus buildings. Photo by Pat Howell.
The ongoing renovations to Mulvane Hall continue as the spring semester gets under way and construction is on schedule and on budget.
“The top floor is completely gutted,” Professor of Biology Darcy Russell said. “They’ve ripped out the carpets and the ceilings are gone. There’s really nothing left.”
The main floor is also totally destroyed and gutted.
“It looks like a bomb went off in there,” Russell said.
Due to the amount of construction, all departments besides biology have completely moved out of Mulvane. The physics department has relocated to the Harter Union basement along with the computer science labs.
“Biology labs can’t be legally taught outside Mulvane so we’ll teach six weeks of labs in Mulvane and then after spring break we’ll need to move completely out of Mulvane and find other ways to teach our labs,” Russell said.
Professors have moved their offices to various buildings across campus, including Mabee Memorial Hall and Case Hall.
While the construction this spring means the relocation of classes, junior biology major Reno Marical thinks it’s worth the trouble.
“I’m excited for the new Mulvane because the facilities were pretty outdated,” Marical said. “I don’t really know where my classes are yet but I’m just going to go where the schedule tells me to.”
For senior chemistry major Jackie Thompson, the renovations have a sentimental value.
“It is kind of sad because it’s like the end of an era,” Thompson said. “I am glad for the future generations, though.”
The frame for the addition to Mulvane is already constructed and the next step is to pour the concrete for the floor, which, according to Russell, is being poured in an environmentally friendly way.
Russell has overseen the entire renovation process in Mulvane. She started drawing up plans for the building over a decade ago and is looking forward to seeing the project through to the end.
“Baker talks about being confident, competent contributors to society, and I want to be that for Baker,” Russell said. “Giving this back to the university and students means everything to me.”
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