SHU aesthetics in question

When it comes to the aesthetic beauty of Seton Hill University (SHU), how can we move forward, while at the same time, preserve our unique history?

The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation would like to help answer that question with their draft report, which, according to Eugene Matta, the director of real estate and special government programs for the Landmark Foundation, will be released sometime in November. The draft will include photos and recommendations for psychical changes around SHU.

Kayla Sawyer

News Editor

When it comes to the aesthetic beauty of Seton Hill University (SHU), how can we move forward, while at the same time, preserve our unique history?

The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation would like to help answer that question with their draft report, which, according to Eugene Matta, the director of real estate and special government programs for the Landmark Foundation, will be released sometime in November.

The draft will include photos and recommendations for psychical changes around SHU.

“If we really want to embrace the overall richness and beauty of the campus, we have to put both of those in one hand, honor the history and embrace the challenges of the future,” said Mary Ann Gawelek, the dean of academic affairs.

It is not yet known what types of recommendations are likely to be in the report, but it is possible that it could answer questions about what can be done with the lower fields or the exterior of the buildings.

“We don’t think that just a conservation plan is enough,” said Matta. “This has to have an impact with the college community, and if possible, within the community outside of the college.”

A general assembly is planned for after the draft report is released. The assembly will be held at SHU and will be a public meeting for the entire college community in which students and faculty can give feedback on the information presented.

“We’re hoping that what the report allows us to do is respond to students of this age,” said Gawelek.

“We want to bring life to the ideas students have,” said Matta. “There has to be concerns that the students have about the landscape, the campus, security, the lights. That’s what we want to hear the voice of the students.”

After the draft and final report is complete, some of the restorations can be used as projects for clubs like the Green Commitment or the Biology Club.

“We’ve talked about the different concerns we’ve had at the Bio Club meetings before,” said Heather Patterson, president of the Biology Club. “Like [Our Lady] Grotto could really use a nice freshening up. It’s a beautiful place that is just getting overcrowded.”

Students are also concerned about the general exterior appearance of buildings such as Reeves Library and Lynch Hall and dorm buildings like Havey and Brownlee.

They feel that they stand out negatively in comparison to the aesthetic exterior of Sullivan and the Administration building.

However, concerns about overcrowding are most common.

“I understand that they’re building a new performing arts center, but they should really organize Saint Mary’s [Hall],” said Candice Shaughnessy, a junior. “And Sullivan is hardly used by anybody. They could put a lot of nice stuff in there and really make it nice.”

“There’s something that I would like to see done and it’s the steeple,” said Mary Alma Vandervest, SHU’s archivist. “It’s in glaring aluminum and it should be in stone or brick.”