This photo essay represents the motions being

made to construct a new building for Snell Hall

occupants. The current facility is deteriorating
and the University is proposing that it be vacated
in the near future.

KATE ADOLPHSON, SARAH CHAMNESS, & ALLIE STRAUSS

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 A view of Snell Hall.

The face of a statue located at the

entrance of Snell Hall.

“[Snell] doesn’t speak to you at all. It was a

former residence hall that’s sort of made
do for a long time.”
-Jim Carruthers, Project Manager

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 (Speaking about results of a 70-student
questionnaire): “Here are some of the
things we learned from the qualitative
information and also some of the survey
kind of work: Students were concerned
about whether [Snell] was safe over
there. Besides the fact that it has some
seismic issues going on, there were just
some issues of personal safety. So that
resonates very clearly in terms of student
buildings. There wasn’t that sense of
safety over there which was a concern.”
-Jim Carruthers

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An expired fire extinguisher sits behind a pane of glass. It A white powder substance sits on a crack where the wall
expired in 2003. meets the floor.
 An unprotected frayed wire protrudes from the wall.

“When we talk about wellness, we don’t necessarily talk about it

as a student health thing or a psychological service, or
recreational fitness. It’s a lot broader than that. Where do you go
for support?” 4
- Bill Callender, Dixon Recreation Center Facilities Director
(Introducing a group activity
where participants place
orange dots on poster board
indicating their personal beliefs
about what a new building
should offer to the campus)
“When it comes to the inside,
let’s not worry too much about
the rules. We are intrigued by
your look, your feelings, your
senses. This is for you to
personalize the highest priority
you believe to be. We are
interested in how everyone
views this at that personal and
motive level.
- James Meyer, Architect

From top to bottom: mold growing from the top of a door

frame, a crack in the wall previously hidden by a chalk
board, a close-up of the damaged wall.

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 A stairwell view from the top floor to the basement.

(Speaking about any building that is comfortable and familiar to its users)
“It creates a critical mass of people coming and going from this area.
There’s a sense that you might see somebody you know or run into
something interesting. There’s more opportunity for what was once called
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serendipity of interaction... everyone’s just coming to see what’s going on.
-Bart Hall, Project Manager
 An exit sign completely rusted.

(Introducing the information of an imposed student fee that

would occur during the construction of a new building)
“Everybody’s cognisant of the recession. Students generally feel
that if they are in control of those dollars, then that’s better than 7
having those dollars imposed on them.” -Jim Carruthers
 A participant in a meeting on May 19th, 2009.

“It’s about a group, it’s about community. Those seem to be an important component in terms of what
everyone’s looking for.” -James Meyer
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“It’s all about a means to an informational end. Where can I go to do something, get involved?”
-Jim Carruthers
 The proposed site of the M.U. East Project, what is now the parking lot for the Beaver Bookstore.

“Community happens. You provide the shell and the opportunity and then it gets defined.” - Bart Hall

“The essence of community and consumption space is really what the key conditions are.” -James Meyer

“This doesn’t mean that this is the end-all project of the MU. It is a very significant project and we want to make
sure that as much as possible is accomplished through this project, whatever it becomes, weather it’s an 9
addition, an expansion, an annex, there are lots of terms thrown around.” -Jim Carruthers
Students Carl Leniger and John Hendricks (the Station Manager and Action Manager, respectively) at the campus media station, KBVR.

“Part of the point of today is to help you all understand what’s gotten
us to where we are today and most importantly you all help us 10
understand where we’re going from here.” -Jim Carruthers
From Top Left to Bottom Right: The view from Snell hall, group member Sarah Chamness takes photographs of Snell Hall, project
blueprints and proposals from the May 19th meeting, a view of room 213 in the Memorial Union, project blueprints for the M.U. East
Project, active participants in the May 19th meeting.

“Overwhelmingly, students say [in their terms] go big or don’t go at

all. In other words, do it right, or don’t do it. Don’t give us half-full.
If we’re gonna have a good media center, have a good media
center. If we’re gonna have a great lounge, then make it the way we
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really think about how a lounge should be.” -Jim Carruthers