Since 1972 the historical building we know as Alumni Hall has been a landmark in Prairie View A&M history. But now after 32 years Alumni Hall will soon be no more.Only those who attended Prairie View over a year ago will truly know the exciting feeling that the university gave you while Alumni Hall was open. Before the opening of the Memorial Student Center the campus was filled with so much life and energy. At that time students could tolerate the heat and didn’t mind being outside. For one, there were more places to sit, and lots of trees around provided shade. There was always something going on that made the student body want to stick around, whether it was Greek events or just students socializing with one other. If you had a class in Hilliard Hall you were constantly looking out the window to see what was going on at Alumni Hall.
Although we now eat at the MSC and have a better variety of food provided for us, lots of students who had the chance to dine at Alumni Hall enjoyed it much better there. Most upperclassmen liked the size that the Alumni Hall provided. Never did you have to look for a place to sit, unless you were trying to squeeze in somewhere close with your friends.
Kristy Allen, a senior health major, says, “It should not have been torn down. It’s going to be sad to see it go. New students would have liked it much better there.” Savannah Goodwin, a senior education major, also had similar comments.”I had lots of good memories there. I don’t think it should be torn down, they should have restored it and used it for something else.”
Senior Brandt Conerly said, “The yard was always crunk. I looked forward to going to class just so I could go to Alumni Hall. You never really were bored because there was always something going on.”
There are some third and fourth year students who feel sorry for the underclassmen because they are not getting the same PV experience as they did two and three years ago. Alumni Hall was a lot more convenient to the students in terms of location. It is much closer to all the buildings which made your walk to your next class less dramatic. Other things that made Alumni Hall so special was the different fraternity and sorority trees that stood among us. Seeing the different Greeks sitting proudly in front of their trees gave you a feeling that you were getting a true college experience.
To those of you who were lucky enough to be here a couple of years ago and can still carry the memories and know the exact feeling, Alumni Hall was more than a place to eat. It was a place to bond with your peers and enjoy your time in college. From the non-stop crunkness on the yard, to the west wing parties upstairs, Alumni Hall will always have a place in Prairie View A&M University history and will always be missed.