EXP | 795 Columbus Avenue | Northeastern University

I think it’ll be hard to group the two buildings together into one ISEC. The student body by and large refers to the first building solely as ISEC. It’ll be very hard to remove that association, IMO. Sort of like a John Hancock/200 Clarendon or Willis/Sears Tower issue.

Building name norms usually change over pretty quickly in student bodies, since most students usually only hang around for 4 years. Whether or not ISEC will continue to stick with students depends on if they keep the name with the donor's name (i.e. 'John Smith Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex vs. Smith Hall/Center,') and that may continue to stick as ISEC. These interdisciplinary science/engineering centers are strong selling points for admissions, donors, and general PR, so they may likely keep it to keep up with BU's EPIC, MIT.NANO, Harvard SEC, etc.

Also peculiar: It's unclear on the Naming Opportunities page if the building will be named something other than ISEC. They have plenty of other donor opportunities (the atrium and spiral stairs for $3m, auditorium for $3m, a research floor for $2.5m, meeting spaces for $100k-250k each, etc.). Naming the building is listed as an option, but there's no 'more info' like the other opportunities. I'm sure if someone showed up with enough money, they'd rename it after them, and the school would push that name in respect of the donor.
 
My current theory is whenever Joseph Aoun, the current president of Northeastern, retires the school will name both buildings after him. Maybe the "Aoun engineering complex". regardless, I think he will have something named after him. He's been such a huge reason for the growth of the school these last 10 years or so.
 
I think it’ll be hard to group the two buildings together into one ISEC. The student body by and large refers to the first building solely as ISEC. It’ll be very hard to remove that association, IMO. Sort of like a John Hancock/200 Clarendon or Willis/Sears Tower issue.
LOL I still refer to Cullinane Hall as the Botolph Building which it what it was called when I was a Northeastern student.
 
My current theory is whenever Joseph Aoun, the current president of Northeastern, retires the school will name both buildings after him. Maybe the "Aoun engineering complex". regardless, I think he will have something named after him. He's been such a huge reason for the growth of the school these last 10 years or so.
I agree. Northeastern has named buildings after all of its past presidents up to Curry. Yet there is no Freeland Hall. He was Aoun's predecessor and he served for 10 years. He actually began the current expansion building West Village. When he stepped down there was a rumor that West Village A would be named for him. I wonder if it has anything to do with the interviews he did with Boston Magazine leading to that infamous article that is often quoted, at least the headline, by Northeastern's detractors?
 
I agree. Northeastern has named buildings after all of its past presidents up to Curry. Yet there is no Freeland Hall. He was Aoun's predecessor and he served for 10 years. He actually began the current expansion building West Village. When he stepped down there was a rumor that West Village A would be named for him. I wonder if it has anything to do with the interviews he did with Boston Magazine leading to that infamous article that is often quoted, at least the headline, by Northeastern's detractors?

All of the other NU presidents have buildings named after them except for Freeman. Including: Speare, Ell, Knowles, and Ryder.

Aren't all of the West Villages just placeholder names for the time being? Kind of like how Behrakis is "West Village D" but it received a donation for naming rights before the name West Village D was used.

If I was a prospective donor, however, I'd certainly have my eyes set on ISEC as opposed to a residence hall.
 
I think it’ll be hard to group the two buildings together into one ISEC. The student body by and large refers to the first building solely as ISEC. It’ll be very hard to remove that association, IMO. Sort of like a John Hancock/200 Clarendon or Willis/Sears Tower issue.
When I went to Northeastern, around 10 years ago, it was during the change from "NEU" to "NU" (on shirts, hats, email servers, neu.edu changing to northeastern.edu, etc). I remember NEU being easier to say, but who on Earth way back was like yeah NEU because NorthEastern University?!? At the same time, they were trying really hard to get us to call International Village, which had just opened, "INV" which made no sense. It was just IV to everyone.
 
When I went to Northeastern, around 10 years ago, it was during the change from "NEU" to "NU" (on shirts, hats, email servers, neu.edu changing to northeastern.edu, etc). I remember NEU being easier to say, but who on Earth way back was like yeah NEU because NorthEastern University?!? At the same time, they were trying really hard to get us to call International Village, which had just opened, "INV" which made no sense. It was just IV to everyone.
INV is still it’s official name on the backend of things. All the residence halls have three letter codes. They’re all pretty self explanatory except West Village A is split up into WVN and WVS for North and South.
 
INV is still it’s official name on the backend of things. All the residence halls have three letter codes. They’re all pretty self explanatory except West Village A is split up into WVN and WVS for North and South.
Amusingly, the backend code for International Village is actually PAE, PAN and PAW which goes even farther back to when it was referred to as Parcel 18 (PA) plus the tower code East/North/West. To this day that's what the housing computer system refers to rooms in International Village as.
 
According to a post on Northeastern's subreddit the pile driving is disturbing the residents of Lightview.
 
According to a post on Northeastern's subreddit the pile driving is disturbing the residents of Lightview.

Not sure why they think reddit is the best place to voice their complaints. None of the project managers are likely to see their comments. Their energy would be better spent going to the project's website and emailing a project manager about possibly start the pile driving later in the morning.
 
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According to a post on Northeastern's subreddit the pile driving is disturbing the residents of Lightview.
It’s disturbing just about all of campus right now sans the freshman north of the Green Line. You can literally hear it all the way in West Village.

They always do it in the early morning hours too, so you’re 100% going to catch students who are trying to sleep and/or watch Zoom lectures.
 
I'll be able to take some photographs tomorrow, but construction is well under way at the EXP site. The previous crane being used for pile driving has since been taken down and transported off site. More of those circular beams spanning from the edge pieces of metal have been installed and they've been working on digging downwards in some locations.
 
I live just over a half mile away in the South End and I could hear the pile driving quite loudly as well. It only lasted a few days though.
 
The EXP footprint looks huge.

Didn't they just rebuild the MBTA bus ramp? It looks like it has already been patched.
 

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