Sami Rapp photo: Here you can see mineral residue running down the wall of the stairway.

Mercyhurst has been making plenty of improvements to campus throughout the past few years, with the addition of Warde Hall for the freshmen and The Center of Academic Engagement, along with the countless renovations to make it quite obvious that we are, indeed, at Mercyhurst.

There is one area, however, that has been neglected for years. The music department has many points that are in grave need of improvement. Some of which are merely inconvenient, but some are downright dangerous.

The first issue that needs sorted out is the overall up-keep of the space. With it’s dim lighting and mold-covered walls, it feels as if you’re walking to a dungeon rather than class — even more so than usual.

The effect is magnified when you take into consideration that all but one classroom in the music department resides below ground. This means that there isn’t a single window in each classroom, other than a row of little windows next to each door looking into the hallway.

Looking past the difficulties, students have been put in compromising situations because of the need of moving large instruments. Due to ensemble rehearsals and performances unavoidably being in different spaces, there are circumstances where students have to move timpani up and down the stairs of the department. This can easily be fixed using one word — Elevator.

In short, the music facilities in general are a sight to make sore eyes. If Mercyhurst wants any hope of actually retaining students, maybe they should focus on high-traffic areas on campus rather than branding our gates.