The geography and geospatial sciences department got a $2.3 million makeover this summer.

The money went to renovating the department’s space in Wecota Hall. Upgrades include new furniture, desks, maintenance repairs and technological equipment like TV’s and computers. 

Department head and associate professor of Geography, Bob Watrel, originally made a request for the basement to be renovated back in 2018.

“I found out about the Higher Education Facility Fund and I was put on the list, and eventually we got a schematic done,” Watrel said.

The previous department head, Les Olive, was the first to attempt this renovation, and the department had plans to begin work in summer 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the plans. In September of 2021, Olive retired but plans for the renovations got back on track. 

“An architectural firm, JLG Architects out of Sioux Falls, was brought in, then all things fell in place. We got lucky and there were no budget issues,” Watrel said.

It was clear the department was in need of these upgrades with the HVAC and air conditioning needing replacement. Other such replacements were the water pipes as, “There were original cast iron pipes down there from 1915,” Watrel said.

The renovation affects the faculty of the department and students because the learning environment is a huge part of completing daily tasks and being able to pay attention in class, Watrel said. This renovation aimed to help the students and their learning experiences.

“I had a lab down there my freshman year and it was very unorganized, hot, and it took me forever to find the classroom,” Junior, Ashton Koch, now president of the Geography Club, said.

The completion of these renovations was good timing since SDSU’s record freshman class this fall is to the brim. The basement will now give students access to two renovated labs and a classroom with 30 computer terminals.

“We will have the same sort of labs as before, but the multimedia is way better now,” Watrel said. “I think it is a better environment as a whole.”

The department also gained new audiovisual, flooring, and lighting. Finally, a social space and lounge was also created.

Koch compares the new social space to what the department had before by saying, “The lounge space is definitely my new favorite study space,” Koch said. “Previously, Wecota only had the library on the first floor, and it was very hot in there.”

Watrel also mentioned this is the first time the Wecota Hall basement has seen renovations since the 1990’s.

With 13 majors that require geography courses outside of the geography department itself, the new facilities see plenty of use. Watrel said they have 446 students enrolled in the program this year. He is hoping to gain more students pursuing a major in geography and views this change in the department as a chance for growth.