The New Spirit Store: Moving with The Trends…
posted by Shawnsuki Brooks | March 30, 2020 | In NewsOver the years, Fayetteville State University has seen many changes, whether these be the addition of new buildings on campus, such as the new School of Nursing, or stores built inside different buildings around campus. The newest change comes to the campus bookstore, which has a new off-shoot in the Rudolph Jones Student Union.
The company Follett, which oversees many campus paraphernalia stores, has been connected to the FSU bookstore for quite some time. Some may remember the bookstore being in the Helen T. Chick Building and later moved to Bronco Square, where it still remains. In January, however, a smaller store of Bronco Merchandise moved into the Student Union diagonal from the Café.
This change doesn’t affect just current students but alumni, faculty, and staff as well. At first, some felt that the move was unnecessary. Some, however, felt that their lounge space was taken away, as the new spirit store now takes up a generous area of the Rudolph Jones Student center upper level.
But is the move a waste of money?
When sitting down with Mr. Carlton Spellman, vice president for business and finance, and Mr. Donald Pearsall, director of business and auxiliary services, they made it clear that the bottom line is it had everything to do with money.
“Most spirit stores are merit connected to student centers and located in the high-trafficked areas for visitor tours and meetings in student center. And the safety for getting student faculty and staff across the [Murchison Road] safely was also a concern,” said Mr. Pearsall when referring to the main reasons for the move.
Granted, moving the spirit store to the student center wasn’t in the original works when the student center was renovated. However, FSU is working to make it more of a “one-stop shop,” said Spellman.
“While this was discussed in town hall and SGA meetings to get viewpoints and approvals … to renovate and move the spirit store was [of] zero cost to the university. Follet is covering all expenses as is included as part of the contract” Mr. Pearsall added.
What will become of the other half of the bookstore and is the bookstore moving, too?
“For now, the bookstore will remain where it is … Eventually we may [move it], but it all depends on how we grow here at FSU … The other half of the bookstore is prime space for something else … as of now, we are not sure [what],” mentioned Mr. Spellman.
Evidently, campus life here at FSU is constantly growing and keeping up with the trend of things. There will be a grand opening for the spirit store once all the graphics and designs are finished by late March. The grand opening will have promotions available for students, faculty, and staff. Follett will still host the graduate fair for graduating seniors, but that fair will be held in the new spirit store and should make everything easier for students as well.
Responding to the possibility of future changes on campus, Mr. Pearsall noted, “Whatever we decide to do, the students are our first thought, and all [from] venues that we bring on campus a percentage always goes back to student and sports scholarships. So, stay tuned…”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.