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Architecture students to display semester's work at Alumni Hall

Emily Ketterer, For The Miami Student

Miami University Architecture and Interior Design majors, as well as faculty, family and friends will gather at Alumni Hall to celebrate the students' hard work this semester with their annual open house 7-9 p.m. Friday night.

The department welcomes anyone and everyone to attend.

With the end of the semester closing in, King Library is guaranteed to be packed with sleep deprived, coffee-chugging, sweatpants-wearing Miami students of all majors, silently bonding over one hope: "just let me survive finals week so I can get home and be with family."

But when Architecture and Interior Design majors have to buckle down and get their final projects done, they have one perk: they already are with family.

"I feel like my whole college career would have been different if I wasn't in architecture. Alumni [Hall] is really like family, everyone is always there," said Kat Roosen, a senior architecture major. "That's what I love about the architecture department and that is why the open house is such a big deal. Our professors really care and are our friends."

John Weigand, professor and chair of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Miami University was recently listed among DesignIntelligence's 25 most admired educators of 2012.

"There are two big reasons for having this annual open house," Weigand said. "First, we want to promote a sense of community and it's fun. Second, I think it is really important to be celebratory. Rather than doing all this hard work during the semester and just going home, we could acknowledge these students' accomplishments."

The department's hard work and sense of community seems to be paying off: The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2011 ranked Miami University as one of 20 "Public Universities Strong in Architecture."

Junior interior design major Lexie Hunt is just ready to unwind with her friends after a long few weeks in studio.

"After weeks of no sleep, it's just a relief to have fun, listen to live music, chill and see what everyone has been working on."

First-year through senior student projects will be displayed at individuals' desks while each studio selects a few projects to put on display in the hallways. At 8 p.m there will be a short ceremony while refreshments and live music will be provided. The open house is free to attend for everyone.

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The inhabitants of Alumni Hall also adopted a pet cat into their family this semester. "Archie" the cat will make a guest appearance at the reception.