The Minds Behind The Design

Why Beacon Hall was Built for You
By Dan Otzel
Staff Writer

An incredible amount of time, money, and effort went into making Beacon Hall fit to your exact specifications.

In the coming weeks, Beacon Hall, Housatonic Community College’s newest addition, will have its ceremonial ribbon cut by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell. It will be host to a “Community Day,” where, according to the college’s website, Housatonic invites the public “to the HCC campus to celebrate the grand opening of Beacon Hall.” Faculty will become accustomed to the quarters where they mold young minds, and staff members will comfortably settle into their new offices.

Yes, it seems as if all is well at Housatonic these days. But let’s not forget one important detail; Beacon Hall was built for you – the HCC student!

Once Newfield Construction finished their “full gut and renovation of the 150,000 square foot former Sears Department Store, as well as 25,000 square feet of new construction and a 3,500 square foot renovation of the existing 200-seat Performing Arts Center,” as explained on their website, the decisions of how the new building would facilitate and nurture a learning environment for the eager HCC students was left up to the Housatonic brainpower.

Dr. Paul McNamara, Dean of Administration, notes “the objectives for the new building included certainly meeting the instructional needs of students. But very important to us was the provision of adequate student spaces.”

When speaking of those “instructional needs,” McNamara says that Beacon Hall “is an absolutely state-of-the-art building in terms of technology. Everything over there is cutting edge. We (also) have wireless throughout the whole building.”

According to the HCC website, Beacon Hall will “house the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Business, and Humanities departments, and will have approximately 30 classrooms of various sizes, 10 computer classrooms, open computer labs, foreign language and ESL labs as well as a number of special purpose rooms.”

When speaking of “the provision of adequate student spaces,” Beacon Hall delivers. Shanté Hanks, the Director of Student Activities, says that she “did have a lot of input in regards to the student area. Ultimately, whether it was the offices of the faculty to the Wellness Center…it all affects the students.”

“We wanted to make sure there were lounges and gathering spaces and alcoves and meeting areas; the kinds of things that students should have available to on a college campus,” adds McNamara.

In addition to those amenities, student government and student clubs now have ample space, with “the clubs (having) the biggest office space in the building,” according to Hanks. Beacon Hall will also feature a Wellness Center showcasing “certain classes,” she adds.

The school’s website mentions other appendages, like “an expanded college bookstore, open and accessible to the public, and a second cafeteria area. A large events space, capable of multiple configurations, with support service will provide the opportunity to host college and community programming for up to 500 persons.”

So, how can the Housatonic Community College student demonstrate their gratitude for the new gift?

Respect.

Explains McNamara: “(We) have something really neat, and I think it is something that everybody should enjoy. And it is also something that everybody should help take care of.”

Beacon Hall is just that: a beacon to an intellectual tomorrow. As Shanté Hanks proudly declares, “the possibilities are endless.”