http://hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/LIFESTYLE/604300315/1024

On the drawing board


"The Collector," a sculpture by 24-year-old University of Southern Mississippi sculpting student Rich Kopp, could serve as a loose metaphor to the current plight of art majors across the Hattiesburg campus....

...Consider the strain on "The Collector" similar to that of Southern Miss art students and faculty - displaced and burdened, the school's department of art and design is essentially working while homeless, with classes spread across four different buildings on the Hattiesburg campus.

The problem initially was addressed last August with the unveiling of a $12 million renovation project to turn the old Hattiesburg High School...

...Pood talked about the possibility of a trolley system that could transport students during the day and people headed downtown for recreation at night during the initial brainstorming session with SMART organizers, but no official plans have been made.

"We've got to be able to get the students back and forth to work on their other courses. This all about getting a university education, not just getting an education in art. But (the move downtown) will provide them with some of the best facilities in the world to study and practice art," Pood said.

Until a substantial monetary move is made from an outside donor, the renovation plans for Old Hattiesburg High will stay on the drawing board....