New Look for a New Year

Over the summer, Cedarville renovated the Stevens Student Center to give it a fresh new look

by Madeleine Mosher and Shelby McGuire

Unless you’re incredibly unobservant or have somehow managed to avoid Chuck’s for this long, you’ve probably noticed that the SSC is no longer pink and purple, but rather white. And gray. And blue. That’s because it got a makeover during the summer.

Cedarville had been wanting to take on the renovation for some time, Creative Director Chad Jackson said, but this summer was a good time to get it done because there were no other large projects. The Marketing and Communications division, Student Life and Christian Ministries and the Physical Plant Operations division banded together for the project. Key people involved were Associate Vice President for Operations Rod Johnson, Manager of Facilities Services Dedra Wrigglesworth, Director of Campus Experience Brian Burns and Jackson.

“This is more than just a construction project, it’s a branding project. It needed to say ‘Cedarville,’” Jackson said.
To supplement the color scheme of blue, gray and white, gold will be added in artwork and yet-to-arrive furniture. The furniture could be here by Homecoming, Jackson said.

In the meantime, take a look at the Yellow Jacket near Chuck’s. Actually, you’ve probably already noticed it because it’s 20 feet high and about 35 feet wide.

Speaking of Chuck’s, it has new brushed aluminum letters that say, “Dining Hall,” over the entrance. Other places with matching new identification are the Information Center and the DeVries Theater. There are also new vinyl signs providing direction to the restrooms.

 

Some places that never had signs, like the bookstore, career services, admissions, and the President’s Dining Room and Library were given some new identification as well.

 

Jackson said that they also made campus safety easier to find by employing a “blue splash” to make it stand out. Now it’ll be even simpler to report your stolen bike.

The lounges outside Admissions and Career Services have also been renovated. Outside Admissions, there is a wall with “1000 Days” lettered on it. Outside Career Services, there’s a blue world map with “CU GO” and a CU GO logo beside it. Jackson said that the updates to this lounge will serve to remind students about missions opportunities and to remind visitors about Cedarville’s committment to misssions.

The student artwork hanging on the walls is also gone. Student art galleries will still be set up in the upper SSC lounges, though there may be less of them because the changes made to the lighting in the theater lobby could allow for displays of artwork there, Jackson said.

The theater entrance’s lighting may have improved, but it still was designed to have a formal feel, as were the areas near the President’s Dining Room and Library.

However, Jackson said, “Primarily that building is a student space, and so I think we would rather have a career fair happening in there and it feel a little bit more casual than have a student event in there and feel like we’re doing it in a formal space.”

Jackson’s goal for the SSC was similar for his goal for the transformation of the Hive into Stinger’s: He wanted it to be a place where “students want to be there, want to use the space, and feel sort of an identity with the school.”

Madeleine Mosher is a sophomore journalism major and a Campus News Co-editor for Cedars. When she’s not complaining about homework or having a snack, she enjoys coffee, words and rock ‘n’ roll.

Shelby McGuire is a sophomore journalism major and Campus News Co-editor for Cedars. She enjoys working out as well as feeding her caffeine addiction and pretending that she has her life together.

Photos by Lauren Jacobs and Scott Huck