Targhee Hall was once a place where University of Idaho fine arts students created a community.
Students who lived there swore by it. But in 2014, Targhee was temporarily converted into an office space to accommodate for the construction of the new College of Education building.
Targhee residents were shocked by the news, and many had to scramble to figure out a new living situation for the following academic year, but there was a small silver lining. Students were told that Targhee would only serve as an impromptu office space for two years before it was turned back into a residence hall.
The two-year deadline is fast approaching, and there is still no sign that Targhee will return as a housing facility. Many former Targhee residents are doubtful that their once beloved community will ever return.
Along with giving the people who lived there a sense of community and pride, Targhee Hall was also convenient for many fine arts students. It”s near enough to the Lionel Hampton School of Music that music majors didn”t have to haul their instruments all the way across campus. Plus, the chance to live with people with similar interests was an opportunity to make connections and work together to improve.
Liberal arts students at UI don”t get much in terms of resources, but Targhee was one of them. Although the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the largest college at the university, it often isn”t treated that way.
Most of UI”s modern resources go to classes and colleges that include STEM fields. That”s not a bad thing. Much of it is based on necessity – those subjects can”t be taught without that equipment. The university prides itself on being a research institution, which is great.
But when liberal arts students are subjected to taking classes in a basement because they have no real academic space of their own, people can get a bit prickly.
The future of Targhee Hall remains unclear. There has been no official statement announcing that the space will return to be a residence hall or not, but this was an important place for a lot of UI students.
If University Housing does not regain Targhee, it should consider creating an arts-focused floor in one of the residence halls, which would help create a community of the like-minded individuals that Targhee previously housed.
Many fine arts students go into their fields purely based on the passion they have for their area of study – expensive resources aren”t a deal breaker. However, there is a lot of room for improvement, and these students are starting to take notice.
Liberal arts students aren”t asking for much, but restoring Targhee Hall as a residence hall would be a big step in the right direction.
– EB