2008 Woodie Awards
Does South Alabama need a bell tower?
Susan Pruitt
Fine Arts Editor
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Opinion
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The proposed bell tower complex is meant to be "an exciting element that will add a dimension we have never had to campus." It is meant to improve the campus and benefit the faculty and students. However, the reality of the bell tower is that it is simply a symbol of misplaced priorities and funds.
Those who support the bell tower hope that it will become a public point of pride and a center for student life. Yet, it seems to me that efforts should be made to directly benefit the everyday life of students instead of attempting to appeal to the outside community. Erecting "a stunning architectural feature" to impress those who tour the University of South Alabama is actually selling a false impression of this campus. The everyday life that students experience as they live and take classes on this campus is not as "stunning" as this bell tower suggests.
Every day, students live in dorm rooms that have mold on the bathroom ceilings and walls, outdated furniture with disgusting stains, living rooms that have no light fixtures and air conditioners that don't function properly. Every day, students attend classes in rooms that more accurately resemble a prison cell than an engaging learning environment.
Instead of attempting to "focus emotional attachment to campus" through the erection of a bell tower, why not try simply addressing the existing needs of the students and faculty on campus. Let's try renovating the outdated buildings that already exist on campus.
For instance, the dorms rooms on campus could use new furniture, new floors, more lights and a new paint job. It might also be a decent idea to have enough parking to accommodate the students living in those dorms, parking that doesn't require the students to walk across campus to reach their dorms.
Also, funds could be used to renovate buildings and upgrade classrooms on campus. The Humanities Building, which accommodates a large portion of students on campus, contains classrooms without proper technological equipment and inadequate stairwell space. The biology building has a very slim supply of classrooms -- many of which reside in the fish-smelling basement -- and lecture halls that barely hold a normal-sized freshmen class.
Those who support the bell tower hope that it will become a public point of pride and a center for student life. Yet, it seems to me that efforts should be made to directly benefit the everyday life of students instead of attempting to appeal to the outside community. Erecting "a stunning architectural feature" to impress those who tour the University of South Alabama is actually selling a false impression of this campus. The everyday life that students experience as they live and take classes on this campus is not as "stunning" as this bell tower suggests.
Every day, students live in dorm rooms that have mold on the bathroom ceilings and walls, outdated furniture with disgusting stains, living rooms that have no light fixtures and air conditioners that don't function properly. Every day, students attend classes in rooms that more accurately resemble a prison cell than an engaging learning environment.
Instead of attempting to "focus emotional attachment to campus" through the erection of a bell tower, why not try simply addressing the existing needs of the students and faculty on campus. Let's try renovating the outdated buildings that already exist on campus.
For instance, the dorms rooms on campus could use new furniture, new floors, more lights and a new paint job. It might also be a decent idea to have enough parking to accommodate the students living in those dorms, parking that doesn't require the students to walk across campus to reach their dorms.
Also, funds could be used to renovate buildings and upgrade classrooms on campus. The Humanities Building, which accommodates a large portion of students on campus, contains classrooms without proper technological equipment and inadequate stairwell space. The biology building has a very slim supply of classrooms -- many of which reside in the fish-smelling basement -- and lecture halls that barely hold a normal-sized freshmen class.
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