In the four years that I've been a student of Georgia Southern, I've witnessed so many large-scale, rapid-fire changes to the campus and to the city of Statesboro that I almost got whiplash. If four years equals out to two completely renovated dining halls, multiple changes in bus routes, several closed restaurants, a new stadium, additional dorms, a golf course, and so on...what will GA Southern and Statesboro look like in 2034 when I come back to visit? I predict a completely new world.
1. The campus will be almost double its current size.
I'm going to sound really old here, but for those of you that don't know, Freedom's Landing used to be Campus Club -- a slightly sketchy apartment complex that hosted a good bit of house parties. We also didn't have a golf course when I was a Freshman nor did we have two bus routes. We had one and cars used to be allowed to drive through campus. These changes may not seem that big of a deal to young bucks, but considering this is all within a four year timespan, it's pretty significant. Add to that list the dining halls, the stadium, and the new biology building, and you can see why I think Southern is preparing for massive growth.
2. Your favorite eateries will be gone.
When people were shell-shocked by the loss of Talons in the Union, I was hardly surprised. Being here for as long as I have, I've become familiar with the emotional sting of having the restaurants I loved to go to be ripped out from underneath me. Does anyone else remember Elements in the Nurse/Chem building? Or Einsteins? Or Cold Stone Creamery? I'd say that Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks may survive over the years, but my tip to Freshmen is to never get too attached.
3. There will be 7 El Sombrero locations.
While we're on the subject of food, let's talk about Statesboro's unhealthy obsession with having multiple locations of the same restaurant. Maybe seven is a bit dramatic, but currently I can count four Subways (though the site says there's five in the city), three El Soms, two Waffle Houses, and so on. Why such a small city needs so many of the same restaurants is beyond me. Can we get a Red Lobster down here or something?
4. There will be a parking deck.
Shake your fists all you want to, but I don't see how Southern is going to get along in the future without having a better parking system. Apparently, Georgia Southern purists disdain the idea of a parking deck because it'll mess up the beauty of the campus but who knows? Maybe it'll be a nice parking deck. Or maybe the campus will get so big that Southern will tear down Arby's and put up a new lot. I don't know, but something will be done.
5. The plaza. What plaza?
There was a time when I would have scoffed at you if you told me the plaza might not be around in the future. I would have said heck no, the plaza is the heartbeat of Southern's nightlife, and Rude Rudy's is untouchable...(cough, cough). Let's face facts here. The plaza is prime real estate. It's right next to the campus and its in the backyard of Eagle Village. It's also recently caused the school a lot of headaches with the Rude Rudy's incident and The Plantation Room sign, not to mention the crackdown on underage drinking. If Southern or something else doesn't snap up this area within 20 years, I will genuinely be surprised.
6. A new Forest Drive.
Fun fact: If you try to find a picture of the Forest Drive building on Google Images, there isn't one. Is it that much an eye sore? The building is home to a lot of core classes, along with the foreign language and history department but it's small, the bathrooms are questionable, and the exterior doesn't match the rest of Southern's pretty architecture. My prediction is that Forest Drive will get revamped, along with the other behind-on-the-times buildings as well.
7. A bus will take you to Sweetheart Circle.
This may be wishful thinking, but maybe if we say it enough Southern will hear us and make at least one bus take students to Sweetheart. The buildings on the circle, and around it, are almost completely cut off from the rest of the campus driving-wise. Plus, the parking over there is slim which makes the area chaotic when students all plan to go to the library. If we can have a Stadium Express shuttle, we can have a Sweetheart one. While we're at it, let's add bike lanes on the pedestrian and open computer labs in every building to our Christmas lists this year.
8. The ducks will have taken over.
They're multiplying and they won't be stopped.
