The Health Education Resource Center has changed locations from the Student Services Building to the Booth House located on Fourth Street on the west side of campus.

The HERC offers small group and community based preventive and health promotional services, such as sexual health, nutrition, sexual violence and more.

Eric Davidson, the associate director of the HERC, said the move came during the first week of fall semester because of the university increasing its compliance with the American with Disabilities Act through a construction project, which will eventually place an elevator in the Student Services Building.

“During the (elevator construction), a significant portion of our offices and services would have required relocation to accommodate for construction needs,” Davidson said. “Once completed, the elevator would have created a substantial loss of our office space, requiring our offices and services to remain at the spaces in which we would be relocated to during the construction.”

Because the construction would divide the HERC’s services between two locations, which would interfere with the office’s ability to serve students, the staff moved to another building, Davidson said.

Davidson said the Student Services Building was originally a temporary location for the HERC when it was first housed there in 1999. The office looked for different locations.

He said the office was hopeful when the planning for the Health Services Building began, but because of funding issues the two could not co-habitat.

“Early in the process, we had asked about the Booth House, and were told that plans were to demolish the building,” Davidson said.

The university had to do some renovating on the Booth House because it was not occupied after the Honors College moved.

There have also been comments on the new siding of the building, which was a result of a health and safety issue. The plaster on the building was beginning to peel, increasing exposure to asbestos, so the siding was a way of containment, Davidson said.

Some of the advantages to relocating to the Booth House are the adequate amounts of space for one-on-one services, which would require privacy and confidentiality, as well as better space configurations to proctor internships and other service-related opportunities, Davidson said.

“My understanding is that the work done prior to our occupation should allow the Booth House to remain functional for an additional 20 years. At this time, we’re being told to expect a long stay in the Booth House and that it will serve as a permanent location,” Davidson said.

Roberto Hodge can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].