By Emily Howland

Winton Health Services may relocate to 30 Mac as a temporary location before its new home in the new Macalester Athletic and Recreation Center, which is scheduled to open in Sept. 2008. The temporary relocation of Health Services staff would happen because of construction on the building currently housing Winton Health Services and the future site for the Institute for Global Citizenship.Health Services will only be forced to relocate to 30 Mac if construction on the site begins before the summer of 2008, according to Laurie Hamre, Dean of Students. Once the timeline for the construction of the IGC building has been set, the Winton staff will know if they will need to relocate.

Hamre, along with Associate Dean, Jim Hoppe and, Associate Director of Residential Life, Peg Olson made the decision three weeks ago that Health Services would move to 30 Mac if necessary. Though the relocation may not occur, the decision had to be made before room draw, Hamre said.

“I decided it was better to proceed as if it is moving than to have to move people after room draw,” Hoppe said in an email.

The space in 30 Mac was the most appropriate for Health Services because of the private entrance, handicap lift, kitchen, bathroom set-up, number of available rooms for offices, and sinks in rooms, Hamre said.

“Very little work will need to be done to make this space work,” Hamre said in an email.

Potentially eliminating 30 Mac from sophomore housing would not pose a significant strain on Res Life, according to Hamre. If the move does happen sophomores who would have lived in 30 Mac will live in GDD.

“We’ve been trying to expand gender neutral spaces. Allowing sophomores into GDD opens up more room for students to [have gender neutral housing],” Hoppe said.

The first floor of Wallace and the part of 30 Mac in the Wallace building would become the new chemical free and quiet living that 30 Mac offers.

Hamre said that the residential life staff has done a great job of ensuring there are options for sophomores as well as students looking for quiet living space.

Though Bigelow and Wallace would no longer be connected on the first floor by 30 Mac, the basement would still serve as a through passageway between the dorms.

Hamre said she anticipates the decision will be finalized by the end of the academic year.