By SHYLEE GRAF
Beloit’s campus has undergone some major changes in the last 18 months or so. Between the Whitney Hall renovation, the re-opening of DKs in Pearsons, and the transition from Commons to Hamiltons, college administrators and facilities have been busy. It all comes at a cost, though. President Eric Boynton’s $20 million renovation plan needs funding one way or another. Enter: selling campus buildings.
Discussions about selling some houses on College Street across from WAC have been in the works since the summer of 2023. Dan Schooff, the now-retired Vice President of Advancement and Facilities, sat down with the Round Table on his last day of employment at Beloit College to chat about the upcoming sales.
“That summer, the College did an intensive study of a number of things to create a strategic plan,” Schooff said. “One thing that was clear was that, ultimately, the College needed to invest more in the student experience.”
The majority of buildings the College is looking to sell are administrative buildings that they’ve deemed “underutilized.” As a result, many departments are moving into various spaces in academic buildings. For example, staff at the Alumni house, which was located at 619 College Street, have moved to the ground floor of Morse-Ingersoll Hall. Other offices have moved to spaces in Middle College and South College. Buildings that have been sold or will be sold in the future include the Writing Center, the Music and Art houses, and the Upward Bound building.
“We want to be integrated with the city of Beloit. There’s a shortage of houses right now… so we also thought an added benefit was that these houses would be available for people who wanted to buy, and in some cases fix up, turn back into residential housing,” Schooff said.
Recently, the College sold a few houses, including 609 College, the Art and Music special interest houses, and the Upward Bound house. Two others are currently on the market. The Alumni house is going for $325,000, and the brown house at 631 College Street that housed Communications and Marketing is listed at $285,000.
“We’ve been trying not to flood the market, so we’ve been putting them up about two at a time,” Schooff told me. “We’re hoping to, and we’re on track actually, to sell all of them for a combined $2 million.”
These sales will not only produce revenue for the College but will also save them in utilities and upkeep. The funds will go to the college budget to be used on future campus renovations and projects, Schooff said.
“We’ve invested in the library, Whitney Hall, DKs, the business school, about $20 million into the campus transformation,” Schooff said. “That way tuition dollars and other things don’t have to pay for those projects.”
The Writing Center, previously housed in the brick building at 635 College Street, has been moved to the library and renamed “Writing Works.” Chuck Lewis, director of the program, is hopeful that the new location will be more convenient for students.
“I’ve been there for 22 years, so I’m sad to say goodbye to the building, but I think the change will catch on with students soon enough,” Lewis said.
As for how operations are shifting, Lewis shared that he is in the process of moving his office out of the building. Another professor, Joe Bookman, has already moved his office to Hendrick’s.
Student employees at Writing Works have some thoughts about the new space and its impacts on their ability to tutor their peers. Casey Barasch’26, Fiona Hughes’26, and Kristen Laiosa’27 spoke to me about their experience working in both the old and new locations.
“Maybe it’s just that it’s the beginning of the semester, but I think less people are coming now that it’s in the library, which surprises me honestly,” Hughes said.
“I’m not a fan of the new space,” Laiosa said with a chuckle. “When we were training to be mentors, we talked a lot about how important your physical environment is toward your learning, and the new space feels kind of hostile.”
Other common complaints about the new space include the lack of a tea and coffee bar, which existed in the old building. Privacy is a concern among writing center employees now that their space is limited to one study room and an open corner of the library.
“Some amount of privacy is useful because I’ve had sessions with people who are writing personal essays about hardships they’ve experienced. I don’t really need some dude walking in through the middle of the session,” Barasch shared.
“I am trying to make the best of it, but at the same time, it definitely is, I think, not the most inviting space,” Laiosa said.
But with the exception of the writing center, the sale of these buildings has little direct impact on student services. While these changes seem less than ideal for students, administration is hopeful that these changes will improve college operations.
Featured image: Forbes
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