The renovations for the Varsity should be completed Spring 2013. (Photo Illustration by Sidney Hollingsworth)

The freshmen may not see it, but practically every other SMU student does. What had been a vintage pub-style space lined with old dark wood, welcoming booths, a hum of conversations and warmth is now a vast room with scattered seating and harsh lighting.

There it is, the former hotspot, sitting in all of its fluorescent, humdrum glory.

“I used to come here all the time,” senior Brandon Frier said. “But now it just looks like a high school cafeteria.”

This is the Varsity center. The old student haven is now in a state of transition. Students and administrators are disappointed in its current condition.

“The thing I’m most disappointed about is that we wanted it done before the school year began,” Richard Owens, director of Hughes-Trigg Student Center, said.

These days many students aren’t even aware of the renovation plan. They stroll into the Varsity center with books tucked under their arms, a crumpled Chick-fil-A bag in hand and a slippery cup of iced coke in the other. They only need to take their eyes off their balancing act for one moment to stop in their tracks.

“When I heard ‘remodel’ I thought it would be better than Café 101,” SMU senior Mary Jordan Higgins said as she looked up from her lunch and glazed over the new Varsity center.

“They definitely downgraded it, not upgraded,” she continued and let out an exasperated laugh. “This is just awful.”

It isn’t aesthetically pleasing now, but the final operation will be an upgrade according to Owens.

“Heck, I walk in there and say this is so boring and bland,” Owens said. “But it’s easy for me to move past that because I know what is coming.”

So, there’s the big question: what is coming?

How about a ninety-inch plasma screen television flanked by two sixty-inch screens on the back wall for starters?

Owens plans on having those centered across the back wall when you walk in along with high tables and bar stools with deep red countertops to add an SMU pop throughout the room.

Many students, however, are more concerned with maintaining comfort and space.

“It’s not as cozy anymore,” junior Blossom Bologna said. “And it definitely looks smaller.”

Owens shared the same doubts when starting the project.
“Our biggest concern was the spacing,” he said. “It felt awkward with the higher level deck and it was under utilized space.

After gutting out the place there is now only two long red banquet booths lining the halls of the room and tables that, as one senior put it, “look like they were just thrown there.”

According to Owens, eliminating the upper deck has now allowed room for a stage.

A student from the Salsa Dancing club has already showed interest in reserving this space once it opens.

He also plans to have live comedians, bands and more late night programs to come alive in the Varsity.

But ultimately the life of the Varsity is in the hands of the students.

“The potential in Varsity is unlimited,” Owens explained. “Honestly, it’s not up to us. It’s up to the students to drive this thing.”

If the football team is having an away game, he hopes there will be watch parties.

If there is a need for a presentation to be done, the flat screens can be used in that sense as well.

Students won’t have to worry about their lunchtime being cut in half because there will be certain evening hours to reserve the space.

Although the new Varsity will instill more up-to-date styles, history is also part of the plan.

“The theme is ‘Our Past Meets Present’,” Owens said.

The theme may sound familiar because Owens has been involved in other renovations such as Café 101, the M Lounge and Centennial Hall.

“The plan is you can walk into the Varsity and see history and present at once,” he said. “That way it’s something that all students, faculty, staff and alumni can relate to.

His vision consists of giant foam board pictures of SMU events such as Celebration of Lights or Boulevarding displayed throughout the room. He also plans to insert props. He used examples like a set of drums from the SMU band accompanied by a pair of cleats from a football player and other Mustang memorabilia.

There are six concepts that Owens and his team will paint throughout the Varsity center: student life and campus, athletics, annual events and traditions, graduation, Greek life and famous alumni.

“Nothing is set in stone but it would be nice to get the creator of TOMS shoes to donate a pair of shoes,” he said. TOMS is a renowned shoe company created by former Mustang Blake Mycoskie that donates a pair of shoes for every pair sold.

Owens points out that these contributions would not only reinforce a Mustang pride for students and alumni, but for future Mustangs as well.

“Parents visiting with their kids can look at these contributions made by former Mustangs and say, ‘That could be my kid one day.'”

But today, SMU students will have to wait until spring semester for any changes – at least that’s the goal.

“It took way longer than anticipated,” he said. “The challenges are, unless you have unlimited funds, it’s not going to go the way you plan.”

They were working with a budget that has run dry but have contacted Student Senate and partnerships to make the new Varsity vision become a reality.

Until then, students are playing a waiting game that has left them with doubts.

“I feel like they should’ve never messed with it,” senior Holly Baird said.

Others feel like it’s going to be worth the wait.

“It definitely sounds like a good idea,” senior Christie Catgrove said. “It’s just a matter of executing it.”