In the summer of 2022, Miller Ezell, who graduated from Loyola in 2020, sent a video to The Maroon which highlighted conditions in the lower level of the school’s Danna Student Center. She suggested in sending the video that The Maroon write about the “utter destruction that is the student center basement.”

Ezell described the Danna Center’s basement as a setting for a “horror movie.” Tiles were hanging from the ceiling and floors were falling apart, she said.

A member of the Delta Gamma Sorority chapter while at Loyola, Ezell said that in her time at Loyola, she and other students had to spend plenty of time in the basement of the Danna Center because it is where the sorority closets are located.

“It made me feel like the school didn’t care about Greek life,” Ezell said. “It was disgusting, nasty, filled with mold and falling apart.”

And Ezell’s sentiments are felt by other students as well. Those on Loyola’s campus are hoping for renovation in the space, and Carol Markowitz, the chief operating officer at Loyola, sent out a campus wide email Wednesday identifying the Danna Center as one of the primary projects slated for improvement as a part of the Institutional Master Plan.

Regardless, Ezell said the condition of the basement is a conversation the school should be having not only with each other but with future donors as well.

“There is no way down there would pass a health inspection,” Ezell said. “I just can’t imagine anyone seeing the basement of the Danna center and not thinking it’s something worth fixing.”

One of her main concerns with the state of the student center is the lack of utilization of the space available. Ezell believes that this could be a great spot for students to have, since she said there isn’t much indoor space designated for students.

“Satchmos’ can only go so far,” she said.

Murret said that she agreed with these concerns and that this space has potential to be an essential part of campus.

“A renovation will help to create a better environment for student activities and make better use of space,” she said.

Abby Robbins, a freshman film major, spent time in the Danna Center basement for a class project. She, like Ezell, said that Loyola should utilize this space to create more indoor hang out lounges on campus.

Robbins said she was frustrated with the lack of social space on campus, besides Starbucks. She explained how Loyola is a small campus and the school should see use in every inch of space it has available.

She described being down in the basement as a “scary experience,” saying that the area is one that needs to be addressed. Robbins said she feels that changes need to be done soon because it creates a negative look on the school.

“It’s a concern to me that they aren’t addressing the disarray the area is in,” Robbins said.

According to Murret, renovation of the center is possible in the near future.

“Renovation of the Danna Student Center is a long-term project that we hope to begin developing plans for within the next year,” Murret said.