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MSU to renovate Berkey Hall classrooms and MSU Union dining area

MSU is set to begin renovations of Berkey Hall and the MSU Union in the coming weeks, according to a campus-wide email sent out last Thursday afternoon.

The plans include a renovation of the first floor of the north wing in Berkey Hall and the former food court in the MSU Union. The email adds that the plans resulted from conversations with “trauma-informed experts” as well as with people directly impacted by the Feb. 13 campus shooting.

The renovation in Berkey Hall will begin April 1 and will be worked on exclusively from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. so as not to disturb people working in the building. Beginning in the summer, the building will be closed for classes while work continues, according to the Spartans Together website which has updates on the renovations.

The plans for Berkey Hall include a reconfiguration of “impacted and surrounding classrooms” into an open space for students to gather, small-group meeting rooms, a reflection room and a personal health room. The remaining classrooms will be repurposed to serve as space for the College of Social Science Scholars program and as administrative offices for the College of Social Science.

Additionally, work that had been planned for Berkey Hall before the shooting will be moved up to align with work being done this summer. The renovations are expected to be completed by fall 2024.

The plan also specifies that the MSU Union’s food court area, which had been closed since Feb. 13, 2023, will be modernized while “maintaining a space that provides a peaceful setting for individuals to gather, engage, relax, study or socialize.”

Beginning March 25, that area will be walled off and construction will start with goals to complete the renovation by June 2024. The email adds that demolition work in the area will occasionally create loud noises disruptive to some students.

MSU Graduate Employees Union rallies for affordable healthcare, free vision and dental care

Members and supporters of the MSU Graduate Employees Union, or GEU, gathered in front of the Olin Health Center last Thursday evening to show support for a proposal that would make healthcare more affordable for graduate employees.

The proposal, delivered to MSU Human Resources last Wednesday, would give graduate employees a healthcare provider outside of Olin Health Center, grant that coverage to any graduate employee’s dependents and make dental and vision coverage available.

GEU President and doctoral student Cheyenne Kleiner said the proposal would greatly benefit graduate students and their families. In particular, she highlighted the importance of offering an alternative to the healthcare coverage provided by the Olin Health Center, which Kleiner said is not well suited for dealing with the medical needs of graduate employees.

Ultimately, Kleiner said, comprehensive healthcare is vital for graduate employees, who work as teaching assistants and research assistants, among other roles, to perform their duties well.

Based on original reporting by Emilio Perez Ibarguen.