FRESHMAN KATIE OWENS LOUNGES on aIIVtllq room (ouch at thr Iiollor5 hou'll' OCI 4 lill' Honor \ (ollege mOl('d 11110 ']11(' \ horne It 704 f ((,lIt!'r)1 '11 till' Slli11IllCI ·A. BEENE New Honors house brings old lore Even with the large couch) annchairs and bookcase that furnished the main room of the new Sears Honors Center, the area held more students than the building's predecessor, which was tom down last swruner to make room for the new education building. While staff members and students in the Honors College and international programs said they were sad to see the older building destroyed, they agreed that the new building, with its spacious offices, new furnishings and '50s-style kitchen, had its own advantages. "We loved the other building," Kelly Milner, Honors College secretary, said. "We hated to see it come down, but we love it [in the new building] too. We've always had a relaxing environment, and the atmosphere hasn't changed much. We have more room now, and it may be more inviting to some students." The former home of L.c. Sears, the universitY's first academic dean, the old ACADEMICS -180 building was valued for its heritage and i!scharm, according to Dr. Jeffrey Hopper, dean of the Honors College and international programs. . "It was quaint. It had a beautiful setting," Hopper said. "J could look out my window and see squirrels climbing in trees. I felt like the building was set in a park." When the decision was made to tear down the old building, the physical resources department completely renovated the white building sitting across from Sears Hall as a replacement. "The first time we looked at it we felt there was no way it was going to work," Milner said. "As it went along, we saw more and more possibilities. The workers in the physical resources department really did a great job." Even though she missed the old building, Mary Lou Daughtey, administrative assistant to international programs, said some of the advantages of the new building included having a large kitchen, which she said made cooking for students in the Honors Symposium easier, and having all the offices together on one floor. She said she also liked the comfort and space in the new building. "It really has a homey atmosphere, which makes sense because it was really a home to start with," she said. The new building was also more available to students, senior Erin Healy said. Students were free to use the kitchen on Tuesdays, and academic organizations could use the building to host functions. Healy said she probably spent longer periods of time in the new building than she did in the old building because the new building is more conducive to studying. "J would go by [the old building] to s0cialize and visit people more often since it was closer to campus," she said. "However, I spend more time in the new building because it is a place Ican go to get stuff done, like studying and using the computers." -DEANN THOMAS
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