"Home at Carolina." It's not just a slogan for USC Housing but the idea that we should all feel like we have a personal place in this large university. About 800 social work students are finally being gifted a "home at Carolina" after years of scattered classrooms and no one building for their college.
The College of Social Work will be moving into Hamilton College, a building that was originally built as a Navy training facility in 1942 and is now a catch-all for random classes. As the building was constructed in 1942, it is due for a renovation and its first strong purpose since it was an armory.
Some may feel slight trepidation at the idea of yet another construction project on campus, but the renovations to the building are fairly straightforward: five classrooms, four conference rooms, offices, a computer lab and a student lounge. The addition may not be as large of an undertaking as the Darla Moore School of Business, but the dedication of space is integral to the growth and health of a college. Time and thought need to be committed to every college in order for it to provide for its students in the best way possible.
By the numbers, this dedication only makes sense. The social work major was created in the 2009-2010 school year and within three years the major expanded from a mere nine students to approximately 200 students. Today it hosts 800 students. Such growth is indicative of strong student interest and the university should respect that growth in interest by giving these students a home. In addition to the staggering growth, the majority of students in this college are seeking higher-level degrees. There are 25 doctoral students and 653 masters students. The people going into this major are dedicated to it, and that should be respected, despite the fact that they are smaller than schools like the business school.
In order for us all to be "home at Carolina," we can't play favorites based on who has the most students. Every student at this university is valuable and we should all have a place to come together with other people from our major. We all deserve a place where we know where to find our professors. This addition shows that the university's growth is done with the intention of creating a better life on campus for every student.