The Rally4Talley committee has ramped up its campaigning since summer through posters, exhibits and information sessions to draw in student interest as more definite

plans are being made for the upcoming year.

Rally4Talley is a campus-wide effort to renovate and expand Talley Student

Center, which was built in the early 1970s for a student population of

14,000. According to the Ralley4Talley committee, the center no longer meets

the needs of the University’s more than 32,000 students. The Talley renovation and expansion committee was created in 2005 to begin discussing and planning for the new student center, and since then the project has gained the attention of students and faculty.

Marycobb Randall, the president of the University Centers Board of

Directors, is involved with Rally4Talley’s student outreach.  

“The Rally4Tally committee’s primary goals are to let current students know what

the project is all about, and then to get their ideas and feedback,” Randall said.

Rally4Talley has had booths set up around campus with

pictures of Talley when it was first built, pictures of the building as it

stands, and pictures of student centers at other campuses across the

nation. The new Talley Student Center will almost double the space

available to students and will feature new dining options, a bookstore

and more office spaces for student clubs and organizations. Randall has

received a lot of positive student feedback this week, with ideas ranging

from a 24-hour Waffle House to a bowling alley.

This weekend five architectural companies presented blueprints for

consideration, and the committee is in the process of selecting one

design. Work on the Atrium is scheduled to begin next summer, followed by

additions to the existing Talley student center and then extensive

renovations. Randall said the Rally4Talley committee plans to present

their campaign at campus club and organization meetings this fall.

Margo Sauter, president of the Union Activities Board, has a special

interest in the Rally4Talley campaign.

“The UAB meets in Talley and also plans a lot of events that center around

student life,” Sauter said. “A renovated Talley would give the UAB more

options to plan events that really cater to students’ interests.”

The new student center will be paid for in part by student fees, which

will be determined once the Rally4Talley Committee has decided on a

design. Caroline Yopp, a freshman in agricultural education, said she

“wouldn’t mind paying increased fees, as long as the student center

becomes all it is promised to be.” Other students, such as Taylor McLamb,

a freshman in political science, are concerned about the expenses in light

of the current economic recession.

“I definitely think we need to do the renovations, but many students

wouldn’t agree to raising fees that much,” McLamb said. “Maybe there are

other ways money could be raised.”

A campus-wide vote will be held later this fall on whether to raise fees

to pay for the new Talley, so students are encouraged by the Rally4Talley

Committee to get involved now to make an informed decision.