In three years, MSU students might have a new place on campus to see a concert, a lecture or even to have a class.
ASMSU, the undergraduate student government, began considering an idea to build an outdoor learning center on campus behind the Old Horticulture Building by the greenhouses after the first Sept. 11 vigil, when students complained about the lack of space at the service.
The amphitheater-type building would house up to 400 people, with 150 people in tier seating, and the rest on a sloping grassy area behind the tier seating. There also will be trees placed strategically around the center to buffer the noise from neighboring buildings and landscaping for aesthetic purposes.
“It kind of blends a real formal structure to a real natural structure,” Clayson said. “It’s large enough for a concert, yet small enough to have a 20-person intimate class.”
The area allotted for the structure also was a potential spot for the student greenhouse. In December 1998, ASMSU donated $200,000 to the Student Greenhouse Committee - the biggest donation since 1985 - to work on the project. The house is still in the works.
Clayson and five other ASMSU members have been meeting with university officials to discuss the idea. He plans to meet with officials to discuss funding and hopes to have underway in three years.
“The university budget is very tight right now and funding doesn’t exist for new buildings so it would have to be a major fund-raising effort on behalf of the MSU community,” Clayson said. “President (M. Peter) McPherson is very supportive, but raised the issue of funding.”
McPherson said he has spoken to ASMSU officials about the idea and supports their efforts.
“I think it’s interesting, and I really commend students for constructively considering the project and how to fund it,” he said.
Landscaping and nursery sophomore Johnathon Fricke said it would be good to keep the plants low maintenance, but attractive.
“It’s a good way to have someplace outdoors to sit,” he said. “There’s quite a few places but everyone wants a place to go when they get bored and they want to study and is comfortable.”
The plans will be further cemented when the ASMSU committee for the idea meets again.
“There’s plenty of spaces on campus for an informal gathering, like Beaumont Tower, but what about a place for a formal gathering?” he said. “It would give people a more defined gathering space.”
