Article By: Timothy Connick; Photos by Kiersten Brackelman and Lauren Morse

November saw the reopening of the Humanities Building elevators after a long period of renovation. In May 2025, renovations began on the roof of the Humanities Building after the elevators could no longer safely transport riders. While this should have been a routine construction job, it soon became apparent that the roof was not the only problem ailing the building. Both elevators in the building became non-operational during the construction, and thus had to be closed for renovations. William Bowman, who is in charge of the projects, commented on the process, and how the elevators needed a little more than a fresh coat of paint. Both elevators were almost completely rebuilt, creating accessibility problems across the building, but their reopening restored the building’s functions and returned the Humanities building to full functionality. However, during the renovation process, obstacles were faced by the many departments housed by the Humanities building. 

 English Professor Jeremy Buckner, whose classroom and office are near the construction site commented, “the construction has undoubtedly been a source of distraction from time to time.” However, the construction has made many people, including Professor Buckner, hopeful for the future of the building; “It’s important that we be flexible and adaptable in class environments so that we can adjust to a variety of different situations, whether it’s confusion about a topic, new discussions or questions, or construction.” He went on to say, “it will be great for everyone to have the option of elevator access for any reason, including physical needs on a daily, weekly, or longer basis.” The construction not only provided some issues for classes in the building, but also for students with physical disabilities. Not having these elevators made classes on the second and third floors inaccessible for these students, and thus many classes became impossible for them. Many classrooms have had to be relocated to an accessible room on the first floor in order to accommodate students’ needs or these classes were cancelled for them entirely.

The renovation projects created further complications for the Humanities building. The Provisions on Demand (POD) cafe on the upper floor of the building was shuttered due to construction restrictions that prevented restocking of the cafe. The POD serves as an oasis for many humanities majors, offering snacks, grab & go meals, smoothies, coffee, and –most popularly– sushi. The cafe shut its doors in May, with its grand reopening in November being widely celebrated across the building. However, the reopening did not include the offering of sushi, which due to contract negotiations is no longer provided at the POD. 

“The POD is like a haven to rest in this building, which has very few spots to rest and contains so many departments,” student Manny Smith commented. Though the renovations to the elevators and roof brought temporary inconveniences to students and professors alike, their return should mark a return to form for student life in the Humanities building.