Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief 

Mvk5945@psu.edu

Penn State Behrend students are eagerly awaiting the opening of the newly renovated Erie Hall, a fully redone recreational facility space. The new building is meant to serve as a complimentary complex to the Junker center on-campus, providing both students and athletes with more recreational space. 

The new Erie Hall is a creative use of space, and is meant to combine the process of caring for your physical health with that of your mental health, with the athletic facilities being located in the same complex as the Personal Counseling and wellness center. 

Dr. Miller has mentioned that this space is unique to the Penn State community due to the manor in which they have combined mental and physical health, and hopefully it will serve as a model in the future to other campuses. 

The relocation of Personal Counseling to Erie Hall has allowed them to expand their services by providing programming space attached to the offices. According to Behrend website, “The Personal Counseling office will use the new space to offer workshops related to anxiety reduction, stress management, nutrition, and healthy-living strategies. 

It is important for students to note that although Erie Hall is not officially open for use of the facilities, Personal Counseling has already relocated to the building as of January 9, 2023. Students can enter the building through the door located at the southwest corner of the Reed Parking Lot. 

The former Erie Hall was of historical significance to the college, as it was the first building to be added to Mary and Ernst Behrend’s original estate in 1952. The building was added on to the college and used for many things, including a dance hall that was capable of holding a 15-piece band. At the time the building was added to the campus, Behrend did not yet offer four year degrees. 

However, because of the age of the original building, and since it was not technically original to the state, the college made the call that the building should be removed and replaced. The precious Erie Hall was outdated and energy deficient, while the new building was constructed with sustainability in mind. For example, Erie Hall lighting is largely connected to motion sensors in order to conserve power when spaces are not in use. 

The project has totaled to $28.2 million, and is funded largely in part by the Student Initiated Fee. Behrend students have contributed nearly 40 percent of the building’s final costs through this fee. 

“Where we situated the building was really important to us. There’s a lot of thought that went into the building,” stated Dr. Ken Miller during a tour of the facilities. The new Erie Hall is significantly larger than the previous one, and the building was moved back slightly and angled to optimize the view of it when entering campus. 

The overall architectural structure of the building is unique to the campus too, as the physical appearance of Erie Hall does an excellent job blending the historical aspects of Behrend original architecture with the modern look buildings like the Burke Complex have brought the Behrend. 

For example, the rocks surrounding the outside of Erie Hall will darken overtime to be the same shade as the ones over at Metzgar, but they opted for a different shape stone to add more character to the building. The pointed shape the building forms in the front made largely of glass windows is an example of the modern aspects being incorporated as well. 

Dr. Miller expressed numerous times that when designing Erie Hall, student input was critical and influenced many of the designs. For example, students complained about how close they were to one another when trying to exercise in the Junker Center, and how the set up of the weight room made them feel watched. 

When walking around the new Erie Hall, you can visually see the improvements they made to address these concerns. The three-court gym resides on the first floor of the building, with the majority of the workout space upstairs surrounding the courts over a balcony. Along the entire railing, all of which face over the courts and not towards one another, are cardio and weight lifting machines. The overall set up provides a more private feeling for those looking to use the recreational facilities. 

Additionally, this new building was meant to expand on the recreational activities offered, and has done so well. There is a room entirely dedicated to spin classes, where students will be able to take classes for credit as well as signing up for them to do at their own leisure. Other programming spaces are available, and may be used to offer yoga classes or utilized for a more private workout space. 

Dr. Miller commented that another common piece of feedback they received from students was that students wanted to be able to receive the date from their workouts. Due to this, all of the gym equipment has the capability of synching to the health app on your phone and allowing you to download your workout. 

Erie Hall should be fully open for student use within the next two weeks. A grand opening will take place for the facility later this semester, once all of the decor is fully in place. Be sure to stop by and check out the new recreational facilities as soon as you can.