We request for Immediate Review and Pause of Proposed $2M Demolition of Smith Hall at Central Michigan University.

By signing this petition, we demand that CMU administration immediately freeze any demolition contract, implement an open-door policy for community input, and actively pivot toward a sustainable, adaptive reuse model for Smith Hall. 

We, the undersigned students, faculty, alumni, and residents of Mount Pleasant, demand an immediate Review and Pause to the scheduled demolition of Smith Hall. We reject the administration’s strategy of corporate double-speak that frames structural destruction as 'campus optimization’ when it is really the result of years of institutional neglect. 

Why this matters: 
 
Financial Waste: Spending $2.0 million to demolish a 20,000 sq. ft. campus treasure to dodge a $2.8 million maintenance backlog is a flagrant sunk cost fallacy. That $2 million should seed an innovative adaptive reuse project, not line the pockets of demolition contractors. Additionally, the proposed plan is to build a visitors center after demolition, how much will that cost?

End Demolition by Neglect: Smith Hall’s current state is the result of years of intentional maintenance deferral. We refuse to let administrative neglect be used as a convenient excuse to erase our shared university heritage. 

Preserve Our History: Constructed in 1934, Smith Hall is a cornerstone of CMU’s foundational history. You cannot 'enhance' a historic district by demolishing the very assets that define its character.

Expose the Greenwashing: Demolition creates massive, irreversible landfill waste and destroys irreplaceable embodied carbon. CMU cannot claim to champion sustainability while executing a top-down climate disaster on North Campus.