Expansion of territory has at its core the requirement to have more resources at the disposal of the expander. And this philosophy is ancient. Kings waged wars for this reason. Later, with the advent of currency, money was used to increase holdings and expand one’s resources. However sometimes a resource can become a liability and its usage might actually cause more harm to the user than benefit. 

This leads us to the questions pertinent to this article: why are we expanding Centennial Campus and why are we adding a hotel of all the possible structural additions? Also, how would the hotel affect the students?

The Centennial Campus currently encompasses an area of 1,227 acres out of which 4 million square feet of constructed space has been built. The campus already includes the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, a public fishing pier and Lake Raleigh, the greenway, a disc golf course and a residential complex called The Greens. Centennial Campus is also home to the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center.

I do not think that expansion of the campus would be necessary at this point. Instead, a better approach would be the upgrading of services already present. For example, the money could be used to operate the Wolfline service on the weekends, which would be a great help for students who want to visit the campus during weekends and live at a distance.

The funds which would be used for building a hotel could instead be used for research purposes such as buying new equipment, updating existing equipment or developing labs. This would definitely be more beneficial for the students as compared to creating some spot for leisurely activities or a retreat.

We already have food joints, bars and a movie theater on Avent Ferry Road. Down the same road, there is Lake Johnson, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful lakes the City of Oaks can boast of. All these serve as spots for a break from the academic monotony and entertainment for students.

I believe that the environment of an institution is one of the most important factors contributing to the development of a student. Such an environment can only be sustained by a disciplined approach toward all the aspects of life within the premises of the institute. Although the students can only use the hotel with special permission for professional endeavors, the hotel would still lead to commercialization of the campus and influx of outsiders which would ultimately lead to increased traffic. And the increase in traffic is not conducive to maintaining the atmosphere for an educational institution.

These activities, while enjoyable, would affect the environment of the institute which could prove to be harmful for the students’ academic growth. This is not beneficial for either the students or the institute.

One may propose that hotel enhances the residential potential of the campus and more visitors may stay at the campus itself. However, building one or more guest houses on the campus and operating them on a reserved basis would be a better approach to increasing the spots of residence on the campus rather building a hotel.

Campus expansion is not a bad idea, especially because the students will be the biggest beneficiaries of any such expansion. But the expansion’s results and the effects it would have on the students must be taken into account before proceeding with any such action.