Regents approve expansion plans for buildings at the River Campus

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents has approved a plan to construct a new residential and academic building at the River Campus.

According to Kathy Mangels, vice president of Finance and Administration, the new building will be an L-shaped building running east and west parallel with Morgan Oak Street, and north and south on the same site line as the existing Seminary Building.

Mangels said the plan for the proposed building features a choral rehearsal classroom, three sectional music classrooms, storage space for musical instruments and a choral library. The first floor will include a dance studio.

The practice dance floor is currently located in Parker gymnasium located on the main campus. When the new building is constructed this will be moved to the River Campus. The floor plan also calls for specialized classroom space needed by the Department of Theatre and Dance for accreditation purposes.

Doyle Privett, the president of the Board of Regents, said that when the project was first brought to the board's attention in December 2012, members were interested in pushing the project further because enrollment in the Earl and Margie Holland School for Visual and Performing Arts has greatly increased since the River Campus opened its doors in 2007.

According to Mangels there has been a 73 percent increase in visual and performing arts majors at Southeast since 2003. There were 293 majors declared in fall 2003. By fall 2012, the number of majors had increased to 508. Privett said that for now the project is still in the planning phase, and the financial decisions will be made during the Board of Regents' next meeting in February.

"We already know we have the academic demand," Mangels said. "Also, theatre, dance and art students lack the building space needed for accreditation. There are still music classes being held in Brandt, and there is a second dance floor on the main campus. There is not enough space on the River Campus for students to meet their academic needs."

Mangels said that Southeast has deferred students who are interested in enrolling in the Visual and Performing Arts program for lack of space and she feels that the proposed building will alleviate this problem. Mangels said construction of the new building is projected to cost 23.6 million dollars and will include a 120-space parking lot.

"The building will be divided into two parts to fit the needs of the growing Visual and Performing Arts Program," Mangels said. "The first floor will be an academic space for music, theatre and dance. Then the two top floors will be turned into a residence hall."

Mangels said that students in the field of art need a place where they can have access to academic rooms to practice or work on projects and this building will help accommodate this need.

Kirsten Pointer, an illustration major at the River Campus said that when she first started the program a couple years ago, the classes were a healthy size. There were about 17 regular students in her drawing class.

"Recently classes have gotten much more crowded," Pointer said, "Some people have to go without easels in painting, and sometimes you have to squeeze into corners. Other places besides studios are crowded, too. The Food Nook and shuttle buses are usually packed when you have time, or need them most. And you can see people trying to stunt their expressions in dance classes because space is running out, which should not be happening."

Mangels said if the project's funding is approved, it will be supported through bonds and Southeast should expect to gain revenue from the project. Mangels said that if the financial side of the project is approved, the building should be ready for use by the fall 2014 semester.

"It's been great to see so many people with an interest in the arts," Pointer said, "but if the number of entrants continues to increase at the rate it has over the past couple of years, the River Campus could become overcrowded. Being exposed to new people and new ideas can only increase a student's academic growth, but if classes become too crowded, it will stunt our college experience."