K-State Salina students lead residence hall name change request approved by Kansas Board of Regents
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
SALINA — After approval from the Kansas Board of Regents on March 12, the building simply known as Residence Hall for the last 20 years on the campus of Kansas State University Salina will now be called Schilling Hall.
The change comes after several students expressed their confusion over the literally named Residence Hall, saying an actual name would make it easier to distinguish between it and K-State Salina's other residence hall, Harbin Hall. The Student Governing Association, or SGA, then solicited name suggestions from the student body, and the K-State Salina Student Senate voted on the final decision. Schilling Hall was chosen as a nod to the past when the campus was first Schilling Air Force Base and later Schilling Institute.
Once Verna Fitzsimmons, CEO and dean of K-State Salina, approved the residence hall name change, it was submitted to the Kansas Board of Regents to become official.
Tyler Lewis, Student Governing Association president and senior in aeronautical technology, is pleased the students' hard work paid off.
"Usually when SGA makes small changes around the campus, we only need approval from the dean. But for our efforts to be recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents, it's really exciting. This reinforces the power that a student's voice can have," Lewis said.
The suite-style residence hall was built in 1994 and accommodates around 100 students. To compliment the new name, Schilling Hall also will be undergoing renovations, though the K-State Salina Residence Hall Association would first like the community's suggestions. On Wednesday, March 26, the association will offer a walk-through of an upgraded room in Harbin Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feedback about the renovations is encouraged.
To learn more about the residence hall walk-through, contact Rachel Bouza, residence life coordinator, at 785-826-2957 or rbouza@k-state.edu.
Changes to residence life publications and housing contracts with the new Schilling Hall name will begin immediately and the sign in front of the hall is expected to change sometime in May. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is also planned, but no date has been set yet.
