Stockdale's back with some old favorites and new features
Mia Martino - Features Editor
It has been nearly two years since the unexpected fire broke out in the Stockdale storeroom. What was coined by YikYak users as “The Great Stockdale Fire of 2022,” left a large impact on Monmouth’s campus, leaving students without a student center for two academic years. Now, after extensive work done by the college, construction crews, and students themselves, the Stockdale Student Center is back, and likely better than ever.
Before the fire on October 6, 2022, Stockdale was a lively building all days of the week. It was home to campus’s favorites like Scots Market and Scotland Yard, and the headquarters for multiple organizations like ASAP, The Courier, and the Highlander Hub. Stockdale was more than just a dining hall; it was a social hub for students of all backgrounds and ages. Since the incident, students have been displaced from the Stockdale Center, spending October 2022 to February 2023 eating meals in a makeshift cafeteria in the CSB’s Mellinger Commons and losing access to Scots Market and the rest of the amenities provided by the Stockdale Center.
After twenty-four months of waiting, students are being welcomed back into the the center full time, with a fully up and running cafeteria and old campus favorites and new additions to the building.
Many offices previously located in Student Affairs have found a new home within the Stockdale Center. Of these, you can find Hope Reynolds, Room Reservation and Campus Events Coordinator; Meredith McGary, Assistant Director Campus Events; and Cullen Marshall, Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Engagement. “I was hired right after the fire, so I have not ever been in this building,” Reynolds said when asked what new changes she was excited for.
The same can be said for many Monmouth College students, especially those who matriculated after the Fall 2022 semester. “I hope students realize the really wonderful space downstairs, there's a lot of really good space for studying and playing games,” Reynolds said.
There is a vast array of old and new changes and amenities students can expect in Stockdale. “There are some nice TVs downstairs in the “pit” area, it's a great hangout space. The Tartan Room has board games stored down there now that people can use,” McGary said. Scots Market, a campus general store, and Scotland Yard, a fast-food style dining experience, are expected to make their return with new additions to the menus.
Many organizations are finding their way back into the Stockdale center like ASAP and Scots Student Senate. The Stockdale Center will also be hosting the annual Family Weekend Brunch this Sunday.