A new school year for some brings new teachers and, to others, it means a new major. For Campus Security and University Ministries, it means a new space.
Many popular student resources such as student dining have reallocated from the Gabhart Student Center to the west side of campus near the Janet Ayers Academic Center and the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center in the past year. Now that students are getting used to a newly laid-out campus, Gabhart is finally getting the makeover it has waited for.
While these renovations take place, Campus Security and University Ministries are excited to be undergoing renovations that will catalyze development in Gabhart.
Campus Security hopes to centralize its three scattered locations around campus during the renovations.
“Having all of our resources in one location will provide for more effective internal communication, as well as reducing any potential confusion over which security location someone needs to go to for service,” said Chief of Campus Security Pat Cunningham. “Although it didn’t happen often, there were times when someone needing a parking decal or ID would come to our operations center on 12th and then have to be re-directed to Gabhart, which was both inconvenient and poor customer service.”
University Ministries has also made the move from the bottom of Gabhart to upstairs. The on-campus organization looks forward to being more accessible with the change in student traffic.
“We want to be a space that students feel comfortable coming to, that students know where to find our office and that we would become a meeting and gathering space for important events and conversations happening around campus,” said University Minister Heather Daugherty. “What I like about the new renovated location is that it puts us back into the flow of traffic for the average Belmont student – as we are in the same place as many student services and Belmont Central. “
The renovations will upgrade both the office and student space in these organizations previous spaces. While some organizations have had to move, the Office of Career Development and Counseling has remained in the same space in Gabhart.
“This move to Gabhart, consolidating our administrative services will, I think, be as important symbolically in reiterating we are all one team, one community, as it will be in physically gathering all of our resources in a single location,” said Cunningham. The renovations are hopeful to be completed in early January.
This article was written by Ally Pace.
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