Even with the construction of Ryan Hall bothering many nearby residents of Mercyhurst, it is nice to know that at least the construction of the Cyber Lab in the bottom floor of the library was worthwhile.

The construction of the new Cyber Lab has not been as controversial as some other projects going on around Mercyhurst’s campus.

However, it did raise its fair share of questions, concerns and criticisms from the Mercyhurst University student community.

The greatest concern surrounding the Cyber Lab was that it took out one of our 24/7 study areas here at Mercyhurst.

The study area that used to be at the bottom of the library has been replaced with the new Cyber Lab.

The university did not accommodate for this change by building a new study area elsewhere.

Instead, Mercyhurst shoved the new study area into the CAE building across the street, as though the CAE was somehow not packed enough.

This move definitely angered the CAE and the students who used the old study area.

However, I fully believe that the new Cyber Lab was ultimately worth all of this anger and frustration.

The new programs it provides to students and faculty and the really cool state-of-the-art technology was worth the wait, and helps make up for the frustrations students have felt along the way.

I am sure that anyone who takes one look at the new Cyber Lab will know that Mercyhurst University is not kidding around with the new programs it is pursuing.

Mercyhurst clearly does not just want for its Intelligence program to be the best in the Erie community.

It looks like they want to be well-known for their excellent Cyber Security programs on top of that.

The amount of opportunities that this lab will provide to students is limitless.

Already companies are filling into the Cyber Lab, offering internships to students who meet their standards.

I, for one, agree with Mercyhurst that this new Cyber Lab is a great step moving forward in terms of the future.

The job market for cyber security and data science is growing quickly and is incredibly overwhelming in terms of demand.

This new lab will help Mercyhurst meet that increasing demand for cyber security and data science.

This program will definitely bring in the kinds of students that Mercyhurst University is ultimately trying to attract to its campus.

I feel more comfortable now sitting in a class with qualified professors in a lab that has that cutting-edge look that Mercyhurst desperately needs in its new buildings.

I fully believe that this new program will fit quite nicely into the variety that Mercyhurst has to offer here.