The current Tin Building is unsafe. It is doubtable that the building lifespan is not already near its end and that a replacement is needed. The process of replacing old and out-dated facilities is certainly nothing new to campus, but many times it seems as if little regard is given to the current student body that live through the transition process.
Student organizations have the privilege and the need to have on-campus locations. The destruction of the Tin Building, however, puts this necessity at risk for several organizations. Students do not work, especially when dealing with extracurricular activities, during regular working hours. It is essential that students have a safe and convenient place to do the work associated with their extracurricular activities. Moving several student organizations into the Home Park neighborhood could potentially put students at risk, especially with the recent rash of crime against students traveling in the area.
Tech must accommodate these organizations better if the plan to close the Tin Building comes to fruition. Providing timely and efficient transportation late at night to the off campus location should help mitigate the situation, but ultimately the most effective solution to the problem is to ensure that the displaced organizations are given an on-campus location as soon as possible.
Tech must continue to make progress on all fronts to ensure it stays competitive with other top institutes across the nation, and in this case, safe, but it should at the same time take all needed steps to ensure that the process toward progress does not diminish the Tech experience for current students. The construction at the center of campus, albeit necessary and worthwhile, has already been burden to the current student body; future plans should keep in mind the forced sacrifice students are already making.