Incoming students have yet to see the university from which they will graduate.
With the construction of new facilities including The Station at Mill Point, the Numen Lumen Multi-Faith Center and the Global Residential Neighborhood, new students will see a noticeable difference in the campus between their first visits and the day of their graduation.
“I can’t imagine what the campus will look like in a few years,” said freshman Helen Peplowski. “Alumni who I see in my hometown are shocked at how drastically the campus has changed since they went to school here, even though it was within the same decade.”
Elon has several methods of helping perspective students to visualize what the campus will look like by the time they attend. Moseley Center and individual construction sites display projected images of the new facilities.
There is also information about the coming changes to campus in the admissions view book, and on the updated online campus map.
“Elon has provided students with the tools they need to look into the expansion,” said sophomore Olivia James. “No one is completely in the dark.”
University tour guides have received enthusiastic responses from perspective students about what the construction means for Elon as a school, according to freshman Carley Gaynes, a tour guide at Elon.
“There seems to be a lot of excitement (among perspective students) about the possibility of having so many new and wonderful facilities by the time they become students,” Gaynes said.
During information sessions with perspective students, tour guides show images of what The Station at Mill Point will look like when completed, according to Gaynes.
While the prospect of new facilities can be alluring, some students have expressed that the campus’ visual appeal has suffered as a result of all the construction.
[quote]I know that the campus will still be beautiful after the construction is over, but the green fences and mud do make the campus look slightly less appealing. - Olivia James, sophomore[/quote]
“I know that the campus will still be beautiful after the construction is over, but the green fences and mud do make the campus look slightly less appealing,” James said.
Preserving the aesthetic appeal of the campus is important to Elon, which is why the school begins construction projects in phases, according to Gaynes.
Ensuring that all eight of the projects outlined by The Elon Commitment are not happening at once keeps the construction from detracting from the rest of the campus, she said.
“Families seem to be really impressed by what Elon has to offer visually, so I don’t think that some construction would have the power to change that,” Gaynes said.
Perspective students should not be deterred from applying because of Elon’s temporary state of transition, James said. Rather, she thinks they will see the changes as a positive sign of the university’s growth.
“Sometimes your home needs fixing up,” she said. “You work on it because your home is a reflection of you.”
Even with the advancements being made towards the goals outlines by The Elon Commitment, some students are worried that modifications to the campus will take away the things that made them so excited to apply to Elon.
“I think that some of the construction will change the campus too drastically,” said sophomore Helen Peplowski. “The campus was a large part of why I came to Elon, so I don’t want it to change too much or beyond recognition.”