The recently renovated Denious Hall has received a face-lift to accommodate its new occupants.

“It’s beneficial for prospective students visiting the campus with families,” Angela Butell, associate director of admissions and campus visit coordinator, said. “We can accommodate large groups of people, which comes in handy on big visit days like the scholarship day.”

Denious was renovated during the fall semester and the admissions and financial aid office moved in in December.

Butell said in January and February alone there were at least 200 campus visitors to Denious Hall.

“We would not have been able to accommodate all the recent visitors had we not moved to Denious,” senior Stacy Yowell said.

The building was remodeled with cost-efficiency in mind.

“All of the furniture in the offices were bought second hand and reupholstered or finished,” Butell said.

The new building has many additions that admissions did not have prior to the move.

Butell said there would soon be a television in the welcome center right as visitors walk in the doors.

The television will not have cable, but there will be a continuous video that will introduce future students and families to Baker and the community that makes Baker.

“The best thing about it is the open area,“ senior Michael Morefield said. “The new office is open and welcoming.”

The admissions office now has the space and equipment to provide refreshments for visitors.

“We couldn’t have all the new additions to the department if the department had not moved from Parmenter (Hall) because of the lack of space,” Yowell said. “The space is what helps us the most on days we have a lot of students visiting.”

The majority of the decor in Denious was artwork found in the Baker archives.

“We want to Baker-ize it,” Butell said. “We are hoping to add illustrations or photos of the whole journey of Baker, from move-in day freshman year to graduation day, so that students can see themselves at each step.”

The admissions office has 20 student university admissions assistants who work for the department.

The UAAs meet prospective students in Denious Hall daily.

“The new space helps the students to be comfortable while on campus and warm-up to Baker,” Morefield said.

The openness Denious gives challenges the staff who have offices in the hall, but the extra room is worth it to the admissions staff.

“The open space is good for students visiting, but isn’t always good for the workers in offices because there are very few doors to separate the office from the noises,” Butell said. “It’s a good thing that the UAAs and the additional admissions staff are like family.”