BY JEORGIA JAHUMPA
Photo Credit: Stonehill Archives
Before there was the sports complex, dining commons, and May Hall, Stonehill College only had Donahue Hall, Alumni Hall, and acres of trees and grassy fields.
The campus has grown since it opened its doors in 1948, paving new roads for a host of facilities, including most of the residence buildings.
Alumni said that they are amazed by the changing landscape when they visit campus.
Susan Pawlak-Seaman, ’74, said the campus was very different from what it is now. She said when she arrived on campus to attend a lecture two years ago, she did not know where the roads went.
“I absolutely got lost going to this talk, it was that different,” said Pawlak-Seaman.
When Pawlak-Seaman attended Stonehill, she said the road used to cut through the college, with the road traveling up from Belmont Street to where May Hall is today.
Alumni said they remembered living in the residence halls, including Boland, Corr, Pilgrim Heights, and the Commonwealth Courts.
Pawlak-Seaman said she lived in Boland Hall during her first two years and remembers going to attend Brother Mike’s in the basement of O’Hara, which used to be a male-only dorm.
“That was the big hangout at the time,” Pawlak-Seaman said.
Pawlak-Seaman also said the athletic scene is not what it used to be, as there was no athletic complex until the college center opened her junior year.
“The basketball team played its home games at the Brockton Armory and other local school gyms,” Pawlak-Seaman said.
Karen Madison, ’94, said when she saw the renovated sports complex, she was amazed by the studios, equipment, and locker rooms. She said when she was on the women’s soccer team, where athletes had to get ready in their dorm room before walking down to the soccer field.
“We didn’t have that great locker room that the women’s soccer team has now,” Madison said.
Madison said before the Roche Dining Commons opened in 1992 during her junior year, the cafeteria at the Student Union was her only option.
“That building was the police station and our cafeteria,” said Madison, “You only had the cafeteria during those open hours as food options. Once the commons were built, then we were able to have different dining options”
Cicily Shaw, ’97, said she enjoyed the tight-knit community when she attended.
“I remember hanging out of the Quad when the weather was really nice and running into my friends,” Shaw said.
Some alumni said they still visit campus each year, with some joining alumni groups and giving back to Stonehill.
Shaw said she visits campus frequently as president of the Alumni Council and committee member of BIPOC Achieving Connection & Empowerment at Stonehill (BACES), a mentorship program connecting students and alumni of color. She said that it has been rewarding to see how much the student programs have changed since she attended.
“All the new student groups and programs that represent different identities has been really neat to see,” Shaw said.
Randy Jose, ’12, said he stays involved on campus by joining various alumni groups, including BACES.
He said when he would return to campus after the Meehan and May Hall were built, he said they were gorgeous buildings that complimented the campus very well.
“I see a lot of the promotional stuff of students walking, riding their bike, or playing frisbee on the Quad with the big buildings there and I think it looks so current and updated,” Jose said.
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