South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has recently broken ground on a new building that will destroy a significant portion of the green space on campus. This building will require the removal of several of the oldest trees on our campus and the relocation memorials in our Quad. 

Student input was not considered in the planning and location of the new facility and the school administration has remained silent in the face of significant anger from the student body and faculty. 

We are calling on President Rankin, and his staff, to immediately halt construction on the Nucor Mineral industries Building until the following conditions are met:

1. The full building plans, including renders of the Quad with the Nucor building in place, floor plans of the new building, and map of the impact to the Quad are made publicly available online and in a high traffic area of the Surbeck Center.
2. Open discussions comparing alternatives to the proposed location of the Nucor building are held with transparency and student input. Including a detailed explanation of why the Nucor Building was moved from the proposed location between Paleo and O'Hara.
3. An analysis of the administrative policies which allowed such an unpopular and damaging project to be approved with no oversight or accountability to the campus community.
4. A public apology from the school administration acknowledging that the location chosen and lack of transparency was wrong and damaged the trust between the campus community and the administration.
5. New standards to ensure input from students and faculty is taken into consideration for any new construction project that would affect green space on campus or cause significant disruptions.

This project is damaging to Students at School of Mines, the open and inviting feeling of the Quad, the rich history of our campus, and the naming sponsor Nucor, who donated $5 million to attach their name and reputation to one of the most universally hated projects in our school's history.

It is in the best interest of all parties to pause this project and have the administration take the necessary steps to address the concerns of students, faculty, and alumni of South Dakota School of Mines.