The Hendricks Center, previously advertised as the Center for the Arts, is now advertised as the “School of Media & the Arts,” according to the new signage both outside and inside the building.* Walking inside the front doors, you’ll find many updates to this building. The previously empty, stark, and iconic “Hendricks Center blue” walls of the main hallway have now been replaced with navy, yellow, and gray hues in a striped pattern. On the gray section, the official “School of Media & the Arts” lettering signage has been put up. When this sign first debuted, one of the letters on the sign was cracked — an obvious error that remained up for a week before replacement.
*The Hendricks Center is still named the Hendricks Center; it is just now advertised as the School of Media & the Arts, rather than the Center for the Arts.
The first floor also features the now official box office. With renovations that began with drilling a hole in the wall last spring, the box office has had a much greater upgrade. A wood counter has been installed, proper labeling of the box office is up on a freshly navy-painted wall, and a display case was added for production posters. There are now five large glass panels put up on the wall close to the box office. Their purpose remains unknown, as they are much larger than the poster size printed for Beloit College productions.
The lower level is also much easier to navigate for all those who visit the Hendricks Center. From the front entrance, a directory is posted for the lower, main, and upper floors. From the parking lot entrance of the building, there is immediate signage stating where the bathrooms and box office are located, matching the same yellow and navy aesthetic as the rest of this updated hallway.
Beyond the entrance, the second floor introduces a redesign for room 203. Still labeled an “instrumental” room from the days of once being the band room, the space still features acoustic panels. However, there is now a carpeted corner of the room with tables, chairs, and a TV. Multiple film classes have occupied this section this Fall 2025 semester. Another corner of the room features a sectioned off glass area, complete with multiple computers and art tablets. Lastly, a door next to the glass corner leads to a room perfect for filming sound design work — with sound proofing, a microphone, and computer set-up, the all-black room provides just enough to get the job done.
However, the new media room does face some downsides: the majority of the room is empty space that isn’t being utilized; the tables on the carpeted section feature holes for ease of cord access when charging devices, but the room is scarce of many outlets — certainly any that could reach any of the tables; for the current size of film classes this semester, there is nowhere near enough tables to accommodate every student having a space; and for media classes above five students, the glass corner of the room would not supply enough computers and art tablets for every student.
Overall, the Hendricks Center has had a decent amount of change this semester, from renewed branding, improved user experience through signage, and a new multi-purpose media room, all of which have improved the cohesion of the campus’s current phase of rebranding.
Featured image: Chyler Smith’28
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