By TAYLOR CASEY
Executive/News Editor
A summer renovation presented a new look for the Events and Athletics Center (EAC); now, students and faculty are greeted with the signature colors of the Golden Knights.
For many students at The College of Saint Rose, the EAC is considered a place humming with activity all hours of the day. Whether it be students taking a break with their friends in the lounge, grabbing a drink from the campus Starbucks or athletes running to and fro to their next game or practice, there is always someone there. For those students who have attended Saint Rose for a few years however, may notice something different about the old EAC.
Within the student lounge, the wall is plastered with photos of places and people on campus, and the bolded text that says “There’s No Place Like Saint Rose.” Going deeper into the EAC, the walls are now adorned with gold paint and more encouraging statements about the college. Walled directions to places like the dining hall and the mailroom were also added.
The College of Saint Rose’s marketing department, which brought the familiar face of Home to campus, continued that idea with this remodel. Rather than create billboards, the idea was to use a small part of the advertising budget to promote the school within the community itself.
“The new branding campaign in 2015 and 2016 is what started this project,” said Mary Grondahl, Vice President for Enrollment Management. “The Home campaign is important both internally and externally.”
As the EAC is one of the buildings on campus with a lot of activity, the desire to give the inside a new look was a decision made in order to draw the attention of both prospective and current students. According to Grondahl, it made sense to give the space the attention it needed.
“We wanted to give the students the space they deserved,” said Jenn Gish, the Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications. “This is who Saint Rose is.”
Saint Rose’s Home campaign strives to put an emphasis on the comfort and diversity a student will experience on campus. Diversity is one of the college’s greatest strengths, as seen by the word “Home” in many languages adorning the ceiling on the way down to the mailroom. Opinions about the remodel vary among students.
“I think it enhances school spirit,” said Liam Grady, a senior. “I definitely think there’s a desire to increase school spirit among the student body. If a new painting job can do that I think it’s great. However, as a tour guide, I think a person who is interested in the school is more curious about what goes on in the building rather than how it looks, but I think it is important that it does look nice.”
Though there are positives with a new look for the EAC, there are some who do not see what the need for it was.
“I thought the EAC looked fine to begin with,” said Cassie Wayne, a sophomore. “I also think it’s not the best work that could have been done. It looks like it was thrown together quickly.”
The marketing department at the college hopes to continue creating spaces on campus that allows for a greater idea of Home.
