When walking from different buildings to get from class-to-class students may notice how the buildings are different. The bright whites and tiles of the Science Laboratory Center (SLC) to the grey-ish blue carpeted three stories of Minné, but students notice a stark difference when they walk to their classrooms in Gildemeister Hall with its outdated rooms.
Although Gildemeister Hall is the home to many important resources on campus for student to receive support, such as TRIO Student Support Services, where first generation college students are able to receive services and aids in their education, and OASIS Advocacy Center, where students can access resources for surviving gender-based violence, the building itself is in need of support. The resources that are located in this building, along with the academic departments would benefit from its improvement, which seems to be put on the wayside with the stalling hopes of Center of Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Engagement, and Learning (CECIL).
The building quality of Gildemeister Hall is noticed by most students. A student that is frequently in Gildemeister, Bennett Mullenbach, a third-year Secondary Mathematics Education major noted, “Gildemeister, one of the oldest buildings on campus, has been a wonderful learning environment for me for the last three years in my time at Winona State. However, the building is old and needs some work. I know that there are some faculty offices that are getting re-done, but otherwise, the building itself is deteriorating.” As Mullenbach notes, the hall is in need of repairs, so that the building is able to be appreciated and functional for the students that frequent the building for their classes.
Along with needing developments to support those already in the Mathematics and Statistics department, Gildemeister Hall is needed to be updated to support the rising influx of students. Mullenbach, a Residential Hall assistant, is aware of the rise in new students that Winona State is experiencing and highlights the importance of updating Gildemeister Hall as new students come to Winona State.
“The hallways and some of the classrooms really could use some work… From what I have seen working in Housing, we will only be growing in student population, so there will be a greater demand for better learning spaces, as well as the math department growing,” Mullenbach stated.
Although, Gildemeister Hall is in need of updates the hopes it being updated are answered with the long-awaited addition to campus of CECIL, the proposed building to replace Gildemeister and Watkins Halls. Even though CECIL has been in the talks since Fall 2020, the proposition has been set back through various bonds and bills being unapproved for Winona State to start funding their multi-million building project. Although this plan has been in the works, hopes to get Gildemeister Hall updated are still in the hopes of students.
Mullenbach notes how Gildemeister Hall has great things to offer Winona State students, on top of TRIO and OASIS services, “Gildemeister has student lounges on almost every floor for us to study, and they are all closer to professors’ offices because Gildemeister is so small, it makes it a great place to learn.”
