Considering the limited updates and renovations Morrill received over the years, the building was in need of modernization but far from being structurally unsound. In a classic case of smoke and mirrors, the MSU community was led to believe Morrill was beyond saving.

While false rumors swirled about the building’s foundation sinking and ghost stories, the MSU Board of Trustees quietly approved the demolition of Morrill along with approving the $38 million Wells Hall addition. The potential Morrill Hall offered went unexplored.

While I agree the liberal arts departments needed a new home, Morrill should have received the repurposing it deserved. The building was designed and constructed for use as a dormitory and according to university engineer, Bob Nestle, was adequate for that use. Coincidentally, MSU is experiencing record-breaking admissions that have taxed the resident hall system to the maximum. During my time as a resident assistant, I saw how “transitional housing” overcrowded the halls, but REHS claimed that building an entirely new residence hall was too costly. A renovated Morrill Hall could have relieved this dilemma by housing upwards of 200 students, possibly those of the Honors College and graduate college, which are in close proximity. The living experience would have been a unique blend of old campus and the liveliness of Grand River Avenue.

The most troubling aspect is the (lack of) cost to renovate the building. That number seems like a bargain to alleviate a housing dilemma and reinvigorate an otherwise forgotten part of campus, especially in comparison to other ambitious constructions around MSU. While Morrill now is gone, let this be a lesson to the tuition payers and university officials that thinking creatively and respecting history can preserve the beauty of campus for future Spartans and make fiscal sense as well.