By Sabreena Burks
Staff Reporter
Northwestern Oklahoma State University has a rich history with its different buildings on campus, but along with them are some problems that come with being in an old building.
Carter Hall houses the nursing program in order to work with students who have a nursing major, but Carter Hall has its own share of problems especially with the recent rains this year. “We were having problems with the floors in the office with them starting to buckle and with all the moisture coming in, it was starting to buckle even more,” Pam Hess, nursing secretary, explains.
Basically, it would cause some people that would enter the offices on the first floor to trip onto the ground. After the rains had finally stopped, the carpets were replaced in the office.
In Jesse Dunn, the building was built the same time as Carter Hall and has been part of campus with both the mass communication and the social science departments being held in it. Last semester, Dr. Kay Decker’s office flooded right in the middle of the semester
“We had to get everything out because I didn’t want to get all the furniture and the books to become ruined by the rain,” Decker said.. Like any building, it would feel like living there instead of anywhere else. “You have to treat it like at home,” Decker added.
The Fine Arts has had its own share of problems with dealing with rain, whether it be with the roof or with the windows, but that doesn’t stop it from being part of campus history
“Being in this building I think is pretty cool because of the history that is surrounding it,” Angela Case said.
The Education Center has also had problems in the weather department.
“The building was once home to a K-12 school, in the basement you can still find the classrooms that are labeled what class is which and now we help those that want to become teachers,” said Dr. Christee Jenlink, professor of education. “The problem with the building that we have would be the roof when it rains so we have had our fair share.”
With the rains Northwestern has had last semester, the roof of the building leaked where it had to be fixed.
Some of the buildings on campus have had problems with the rain, but for others it would be due to simple things that are on campus. For example, the library has had problems with the use of technology,
“We don’t have enough plugs for students,” said Shannon Leaper, library service director. “It would be nice to have some working smartboards to help the students in the rooms upstairs.” By describing the details of the library, it would be hard to find out what is needed to change.
Vinson Hall and Shockley Hall both have a rich history between the two of them and both were named after someone that was at Northwestern at the time. Where Shockley Hall stands today, Vinson Hall once stood and vice versa.
It was after World War II that they switched the names around in order to have it be what they are today. “Knowing that you’re working in a historical building named after someone is amazing.” said Valerie Case, university relations specialist.