On Thursday, November 11, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to commemorate the opening of Butler Park, a green space on campus named after the residence that once stood on the site.
In 2019, the Gamma Upsilon Chapter of the Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) musical brotherhood held a tree planting to commemorate Arbor Day at the site. SAI installed trees and decorative plants on the site, and the University donated a bench that was placed there. Horseshoe pits have also been installed in the park.
The president of the Student Government Association (SGA), Emily Wiley, said that the park is an important addition to the campus.
"The area has been turned into a designated space for student recreation. When it is open-plan, members of the campus community can use it for whatever designation they want," Wiley said. "Also, naming a park translates into naming a green space. This is a wonderful opportunity for our campus to protect the limited amount of green space we have and make it good for our peers."
The park was designed by freshman Kurt Whitley from Franklin, Tennessee, a civil engineering and construction management student who is a Facilities Management intern.
Although Wiley said the SGA has plans to add some trees and seating to the area, he said the idea is to keep the park as a primarily open space so that students can use the park for a wide range of activities.
"We found the park to be very important because it is located directly next to Cartmell Hall, one of the highest capacity buildings in our University that is primarily home to freshmen," Wiley said. "As many know, the pandemic disproportionately affected our freshmen and sophomores, where they received a lack of in-person interaction during their crucial developmental period as freshmen. Although it is only a small part of the solution, We hope these students can take advantage of Butler Park to foster new friendships and healthy outdoor activities. We are grateful to provide the opportunity for our classmates and create an area that will be on campus for years to come. "
Butler Hall was built in 1961 and demolished in 2018. MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan designated the site as a campus green space.
For more information on SGA, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/sga or email Wiley at eswiley@moreheadstate.edu.
Photo, left to right: Ethan Wells, SGA Executive Vice President, Elkhorn City Biomedical Science graduate; Emily Wiley, president of SGA, London senior agribusiness graduate; MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan; MSU Vice President for College Advocacy Rick Hesterberg; and Vice President of Student Affairs Russ Mast.
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