Cheney Hall has been vacant since 2015 after the building was deemed structurally unsound

For the second academic year Cheney Hall remains closed and its future is still undetermined.

Cheney Hall is the oldest hall on Southeast Missouri State University's campus. On Aug. 7, 2015, the Office of Residence Life announced Cheney Hall would be closed for the 2015-2016 academic year due to structural problems in the foundation of the building. The 85 students who had planned to live in the residence hall for that academic year were moved to other residence halls.

In February of 2016, the Southeast Arrow reported Cheney Hall would be closed again for the 2016-2017 academic year and that construction would begin in the spring of 2016. The long-term use of the space was still undetermined at the time. But as students and faculty returned to campus this past week, they they found no changes had been made to Cheney Hall. According to Facilities Management Director Angela Meyer, Cheney Hall has been a large discussion topic this summer.

"We had bids placed on the construction of the hall to fix its external foundation problems, though all bids came back over our planned budget," Meyer said. "So, we closed the bid and redrew up our plans then reopened the bid and received bids up until this past week."

Meyer said they received different bids and are in the process of reviewing them. Once a decision is made it will be announced, but that that is just to fix the foundation problems. The use of the space is still undecided.

"We do not have any desire to tear it down," Meyer said.

Meyer said there are three main ideas for the space of Cheney Hall to be used. One is to turn it back into a full functioning residence hall. The second would be to turn it into a place for international students to either live or meet. The third would be to turn the basement level into office spaces and have upper floors be a resident space, laid out in the same way as the Dobbins Center at the River Campus.

Whatever the space is designated to be used as, the building first will have to be brought up to 2016 building codes. According to Meyer, this will require a total update on all electrical and plumbing while also making the building handicap accessible by installing an elevator.

"These updates are going to be costly, which is money that Residence Life does not have in reserves right now," Dr. Kendra Skinner, director the Office of Residence Life, said.

Skinner added if the building was to be turned back into a residence hall, Residence Life would be responsible for completing the updates and paying for them, but if the hall was to be turned into offices on the lower level and residents living on the top floors, Residence Life and Academic Services would share the cost. If the building was to be used as a space for international students and or services, Academic Services would take care of the cost and updates entirely.

"We do not have a need for Cheney to be turned back into a residence hall at the current time," Skinner said. "Though with our incoming freshman class growing each year, this would be an idea we would need to explore in the near future."

Both directors said updates and how to use the space will be decided this academic year.