In September of 2016, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville announced their plans to build a new engineering hall called Sesquicentennial Hall less than 10 years after opening Engineering Hall. The budget for the new building was approved in early September causing mixed reviews from the student body because the building will be residing in the parking lot across the street from Engineering Hall, taking away the few parking spots that the university has to offer. The plans to build Sesquicentennial Hall first started because of the rumors that Engineering Hall is sinking. Engineering Hall has already been renovated once in 2009 and again in 2016.

“A university that is known for its engineering program couldn’t even factor in the weight of students,” senior English literature major Michaela Zoozinsky said. “My classes are still in the basement of the library. Do you know what’s in the library? Toxic mold. I have to learn in toxic mold and the engineering students get a brand new building? Okay, tell me how that is fair.”

Engineering Hall currently has dozens of classrooms that are unused throughout the course of the semester because they are deemed unfit and the technology is “out of date.” However, the engineering program has the most up to date equipment on UW-Platteville’s campus. The pickiness of students and teachers alike resulted in classes that have nothing whatsoever to do with engineering, like Gay and Lesbian Literature, Shakespeare and American Government, to be moved there.

“I don’t understand why people are so mad that we’re getting a new engineering building. We are the ones that bring in the money. People should be appreciative. Especially since those classrooms are nice. We just don’t want to have class there,” junior civil engineering major Chad Stevens said.

With the plans to build this new engineering building, UW-Platteville has high goals of becoming the most profitable school in the UW System.

“At the end of the day, that is what it comes down to. That’s why we have gotten rid of some of our majors and replaced them with more viable majors,” Chancellor Dennis Shields said.  “We want to make money, and that’s what the engineering program does. With this new building we are going to make so much money. Like, so much. I’m going to roll around in all the dollar bills because of this. The students won’t see any of it, though. We’re probably going to raise your tuition.”