Students Honor the Past as Campus Prepares for a New Future
With voices raised in “Aloha ‘Oe” and smooth white stones inked with memories, students gathered Friday, September 19, to say goodbye to the Aloha Center, a fixture of student life for more than five decades, before it's demolished this fall. The students were able to write messages on keepsake stones that will be incorporated into the foundation work associated with the campus renovations, linking past and future through a simple act of remembrance.
The Aloha Center, dedicated in 1973 by Elder Marion G. Romney when BYU–Hawaii was still the Church College of Hawaii, has served generations as a hub for clubs, study groups, worship services, and daily campus traffic. Its removal is part of the multi-year McKay Complex renewal project that will reshape the heart of campus with five new buildings, including a new auditorium, welcome center, classrooms, offices, tutoring, and student recreation spaces.
University Construction Updates note that demolition and site preparation across the center of campus began this summer, with the replacement of the David O. McKay Classroom Building advancing in phases over the coming years. The project is described as a once-in-a-generation renewal of the academic core, with groundbreaking held August 28, and overall completion targeted across multiple phases into the next decade.
“A Place Where Memories Are Made”
For many in attendance, the farewell was both tender and hopeful.
Aaron Barclay, a senior from Alabama majoring in health and human science, said the Aloha Center has been part of his BYU–Hawaii story from day one. “It kind of hurts, as it’s been here since I started school, and now it’s my last semester, when it’s getting demolished. It’s like seeing a good friend leave,” he said. “My friends and I would hang out here. We had game nights. We’d go play pool at The HUB every night… I’m going to leave this semester, and next time I come back, the campus will be different.”
Leaving a message on a stone softened the goodbye, he added. “Maybe one day I’ll come back and show my kids … a reminder that my time here was important — and everyone’s time here is important. That’s what builds the unity of Hawaii: every person brings a part of themselves here, and that’s what makes it like Zion.”
Helaman Gonzaga, a sophomore from the Philippines majoring in business management with an emphasis in supply chain, called the day “both happy and sad.” He said the Aloha Center “has been a part of many generations of students,” and the ceremony felt like “a way we get to leave a piece of ourselves, a memory, for the new BYU–Hawaii.”
Isaac Guzman, a senior from Ecuador majoring in business management with emphases in finance and economics, reflected on the Center as “a place where a lot of memories were made… and a lot of team discussions in my time as both a student and employee.” The loss stings, he said, “especially in my last semester,” but he hopes “new freshmen are going to enjoy what comes next and have more memories and fun times as we did.”
Sam Merrill, production assistant manager for BYU–Hawaii Media Productions and an alumnus, said the building is part of his family story. He met his wife, Aubrey, in the Aloha Center during a ward activity in 2017. “Sad that it’s going away because we can’t say, ‘Hey, kids, this is where Mom and I met,’” he said. “But it’s very necessary… It’s 52 years old and needs to be replaced. It’s a bittersweet feeling.”
Reece Piakura, a junior from the Cook Islands majoring in psychology, called the center “such a good place for socializing, for meeting with friends and completing assignments, and a place to see faces walking by.” Change can be hard, he said, “but changes are bound to happen, and they’re often good for moving forward. To be part of that change is special.”
Honoring the Past, Building the Future
Isaiah Walker, academic vice president, reminded attendees that buildings change, but legacies endure. “We are preparing to build something new in its place,” he said, “but the spirit and the lessons of the Aloha Center will always be woven into the fabric of our campus history.” He recalled stepping through the Center’s front doors as an 18-year-old student from Hilo, joining clubs, and even attending church in the building. Years later, he gave his faculty job interview talk there.
Walker noted that the renewal aligns with the university’s mission: the McKay Complex will replace the Aloha Center, McKay Classroom Building, Flag Circle, and McKay Faculty Building with a modern academic core, including a new auditorium on the Aloha Center site. “As much as I love this building, the new one’s going to be cooler,” he said, emphasizing that honoring the past and moving forward are complementary aims.
What’s Next
Central campus demolition and tree clearing associated with the McKay Complex began in mid- to late-summer, with additional teardown work slated for fall 2025 as utilities and site staging progress. The university has shared renderings of a renewed campus heart that includes a welcome center, courtyard, post office, snack bar, and student spaces surrounding the new auditorium and classroom facilities; a reconfiguration designed to improve flow, accessibility, and student services in the campus core.