ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and the ISU administration have said they want input from students about the future of Morrill Hall. As President Geoffroy stated, we must clearly identify a reasonable and workable use for Morrill Hall.

Morrill Hall is a significant structure on the ISU campus. It reminds us that Iowa State was the first university to adopt the terms laid out in the Morrill Act, effectively becoming the nation’s first land-grant university.

Needless to say, we can’t tear it down and forget about it.

So, what are the options? The building itself is in horrid shape. It has been a part of campus since 1890, yet has never undergone any major renovations or remodeling. Geoffroy stated that it was built with a cast-iron steel structural frame, which has poor horizontal stability. The building’s bricks have deteriorated so much that part of the exterior itself would have to be removed and replaced.

University-hired consultants concluded that restoration of the building would cost between $8 million and $9 million, or $345 per square foot. A new building of similar size would cost about $5 million, or $200 per square foot.

Taking all these facts into consideration, the university should not allow Morrill Hall to stand in its current decrepit state merely because of its landmark status. Let’s make a move, tear down the old building and start collecting the donations to build a new Morrill Hall at another location.

It’s cheaper and safer to destroy the building and rebuild it somewhere else with ample parking and reasonable space. There has been discussion of an extended plaza where the building now stands, and this is certainly a viable option. It could open up the area, making it more visually appealing.

If Morrill Hall is rebuilt, there are plenty of options the university can choose from. Ideas have sprung up for a bed and breakfast, an events center, a campus multicultural center, an ISU welcome center, a university museum, along with many others. As long as the ideas keep flowing to the administration, there will be no lack of prospective plans for the future of Morrill Hall.

For any one of these options to become a reality, everyone must do their part. ISU students must express their concerns and ideas about the building’s future. The university administration must then work with the ISU Foundation to make the project a priority for donors. And donors must be willing, if they are truly concerned about Morrill Hall, to chip in the money that will ultimately make this a reality.

The possibilities are endless, if everyone does their part and puts in the time and effort. As it stands, Morrill Hall is a disgrace to the Morrill Act. It’s unoccupied, it’s falling apart, and its only use is for collecting dead rodents. Let’s change that.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell