MacIsaac town hall meeting update
/Low attendance at the first meeting to discuss Mac's closure and future
On Monday, September 18, StFX faculty met with students to discuss the reasons behind the closing Macissac Hall for the school year, as well as the potential for eventual re-opening. The event was advertised to all former MacIsaac Hall residents and first year students originally assigned to the now-closed building. Despite the outrage when the closure was announced, only fourteen students showed up to voice their concerns and hear the presentation.
Among the chief reasons for closure, VP of Finance and Administration, Andrew Beckett stated “MacIssac Hall had the lowest occupancy rate of 72% last year”, a huge jump from the 85-95% rate of other residences. The high damage rates and its public reputation for being a ‘jungle’ also contributed.
The two dozen students expressed their disappointment at the decision to close the hall for the year, and stated that they missed the tight knit community that forms within the residence.
When pressed with a question pertaining to the eventual re-opening of MacIsaac, Beckett replied “Absolutely, we are considering ways to get it back up and running for the next school year”, but also noted that a potential name change for the residence could be in the works.
With no set date yet, Beckett announced that there will be other meetings in the future to discuss the best way to please both students and faculty while ensuring that MacIsaac Hall does not go back to what it once was.
