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Sunday, July 6, 2025

The Fate of the Cunninghams

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The Fate of the Cunninghams

Things are changing fast at Longwood University. Longwood is attracting more students than ever before. In sports, the university competes with big names like James Madison University and Virginia Tech, and construction is happening all around campus.

Not everyone likes change, and for good reason. Longwood has been here since 1839, and though many things are undoubtedly different around campus, there are certain features that people come to know and love, including the residence halls in the center of campus known as the North, South and Main Cunninghams.

Plans to demolish the Cunninghams were revealed in the Longwood University Master Plan in 2008, and since then, a swirl of controversy has surrounded the proposed changes to campus.

Recently, Longwood Alums have started a Facebook page entitled "Longwood University Save the Cunninghams." The page has attracted nearly 400 members and has become an outlet of frustration for many alums who persistently plead with the administration not to tear down their "home away from home." Many posts show the evidence of misinformation, but dedicated members of the page use it as a forum to come up with ways to appeal their cause.

"It is my understanding that many of the old buildings are scheduled for demolition and redesign, such as the Cunninghams and French and possibly Lankford [Student Union]," one Alum posted. "As alumni, can we contact the Historical Society in an attempt to have them all designated as historical landmarks!!??!!"

 

But the page has become more than just a place to beg not to tear down some old buildings. The posts there, and the growing membership, are a testament to the love people have for the Cunninghams. They may not be the fanciest dorms on campus, but many students have called them home. The simple memories they made there are obviously very important to them.

According to Becky Lake, a 2008 alumna and a member of the Facebook group, "The best part about living in the Cunninghams had to be that it holds a lot of students. So a lot of my friends and fellow classmates lived right in the same building as me. So if I need to talk about a cute boy I saw to a friend or needed help on my Spanish homework from a classmate ... they were right down the hall!"

Longwood administrators by no means undervalue the significance of the buildings. Even in the master plan text that proposes their demolition, they are referred to as "the beloved Cunninghams."

"I am not surprised by this initiative, as we know that the Cunninghams have served Longwood students for over sixty years and this residential complex has always been very popular with our students," said Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for student affairs. "The central location to the campus, diversity of students who choose to live reside there, great sense of community, and the character of the building all have contributed to the positive sentiments about the Cunninghams."

Basically, the plan is to remove the Cunninghams to make way for a state-of-the-art student union building. The central location makes the space perfect for this. Lankford Student Union will be used primarily for meeting space and more housing will be provided with additions to ARC Hall and at Lancer Park.

The alternative to this plan would have been to expand the Lankford Student Union, cutting into the open space behind it, which would be detrimental to the look and feel of campus. In addition, this would create a problem for pedestrian traffic in that area. Upon closer examination, this was a poor solution.

Though the Cunninghams will most likely meet their end within a few years, it is important to realize that the university works hard to preserve the historic architecture and unique feel of the campus. "I am very proud of Longwood's efforts to preserve our past as we have improved and updated the campus," said Pierson. "The Hiner building, the Rotunda and Ruffner, Grainger, and soon to be, remodel of French are all great examples of how Longwood is working preserve the look and feel of our past."

This sentiment, according to Pierson, lies not only with current students and faculty, but with alumni. "President Finnegan and First Lady Joan hosted alums this past summer who had not been to the campus in fifty years," he said. "As Mrs. Finnegan reported, they were very impressed with the beauty and character of the campus."

Concerned students and alumni can find the Master Plan in PDF form on Longwood's website.

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