Renovations to Damer and Carriger Provide New Spaces for Student Opportunities

Matthews+Hall+at+Emory+%26+Henry+College%2C+a+building+that+has+stood+since+1953+behind+Carriger+Hall%2C+was+demolished+to+make+way+for+the+new+School+of+Business.

Katie Bolling

Matthews Hall at Emory & Henry College, a building that has stood since 1953 behind Carriger Hall, was demolished to make way for the new School of Business.

Guest Contributor, Terrel Smith

Ongoing renovations to Damer House, new home of the Offices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Carriger Hall, new home of the School of Business, plan to provide more opportunities for inclusive student organizations and academic opportunities.

Damer House, formerly a residential hall, is located behind the Merc. Despite the DEI Center’s newer location being farther away from the center of campus as it was before, Vice President for DEI John Holloway wants the new centerto become a student hub.

“This should be a safe place students want to come hang out,” Holloway said, “or for student organizations and clubs to hold meetings.”

One major influence behind the revamping of Damer Hall will be the opinions of the students there the most: those working for DEI. As such, they will have influence over the new decor and purpose of the common areas within the Center.

On the other side of the tracks, Carriger Hall—separate from the now-demolished Matthews Hall—is receiving more extensive renovations to make it a functioning home for the School of Business.

The renovations taking place at Carriger revolve around creating effective spaces for both collaboration and learning.

“The design incorporates traditional meeting rooms, collaborative suites, and gathering spaces,” Michael Puglisi, Provost at Emory & Henry, said. Additionally, intensive work will be done to preserve Carriger’s architecture, which is some of the oldest and most original on campus.

Both the Offices of DEI and the School of Business are already functioning on campus for the new semester, with the School of Business waiting to officially have a place of its own when the Carriger renovations are completed.