Southern Accent The student voice for 90 years!
Collegedale, Tennessee
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Vol. 72, Issue 1
GOODBYE TO HERIN HALL
Herin Hall was demolished on July 19 to make room for the planned Bietz Center for Student Life.
Photo by Terry Henson
Bietz Center to replace razed nursing building Sierra Emilaire Editor-in-Chief
Southern Adventist University said goodbye to Herin Hall after more than 40 years of service on July 19. The building’s demolition is a part of the Campaign for Excellence in Faith and Learning and is the first step in construction on the Bietz Center for Student Life. More than 70 students, faculty, and community members were present; online viewers also witnessed the demolition via live stream on the campaign website and social media. “[Watching the demolition] was fascinating. The machine used made it look like the building was made of paper,” said Tina Smith, project and planning manager for Marketing and University Relations. Gordon Bietz, former president of Southern, was also present.
“I have always enjoyed the changes that have taken place with the facilities on campus because it shows visible progress,” Bietz said. “I generally feel that things don’t happen fast enough, and to see the building come down so quickly was exciting. I wish the new building could go up as fast.” Prior to the demolition, Herin Hall was assessed for necessary repairs and their potential costs. These attempts were unsuccessful due to the rectangular and narrow nature of the building and its age, said Marty Hamilton, associate vice president of financial administration. Although Herin Hall was a structurally safe building, it did not meet the safety standards of the state of Tennessee building codes, Hamilton said. In 1973, the nursing program had become the largest division on campus and was divided between Lynn Wood Hall and mobile trailers parked
near the science building. Monetary gifts and fundraising by administration made it possible for a new nursing building to be placed on campus without debt. Rick Norskov, professor of biology, attended Southern from 1972-76. “Herin Hall was state of the art at the time,” Norskov said. “It feels like I have come full circle, from being a student [when it was built] to now faculty [at its demolition]. It was like watching the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.” Since the School of Nursing was moved to Florida Hospital Hall in 2011, Herin Hall has been an intermediary building that has housed many departments during various building projects. When Summerour Hall underwent renovations, the School of Education and Psychology was moved to Herin Hall. Once the renovations of Summerour Hall were finished, Infor-
mation Systems moved over so that their department could be renovated. The Bietz Center for Student Life is set to be built where Herin Hall once stood. Campus ministries, the chaplain’s office, student development and all umbrella departments will be placed in the new building. “We’re hoping students will embrace [the new student center] as their home on campus outside of their dorm room,” Hamilton said. Due to the extensive approval and design process, the new student center does not have an official opening date. The goal is to break ground in the spring of 2017 and to open in the fall of 2018. “This is our next big project and I am excited about that,” Hamilton said. “We care about our students and want to listen to our customers, which are our students and serve them [while also] meeting their needs.”