Rowan Hall was an academic building at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 1 ...

, formerly home to the university's Naval Science department. Constructed in 1949, the hall was named after Miami alumnus Admiral Stephen Clegg Rowan. In 2011, Rowan, along with two other academic buildings, were combined to form a new student union.

History

The hall was originally to be the home of Miami University’s Naval Science department. Here, the Naval Science department housed Navy equipment, such as large artillery guns and other small munitions. Rowan Hall served this purpose until 1970 when the Naval Science department was moved into the recently constructed Millett Hall. In 2011, Rowan, along with Culler and Gaskill Halls, were re-purposed and renovated to form a new student union, the Armstrong Student Center. Rowan's facade remains intact, and much of the building's former interior serves as a student sitting and study area.

Namesake

Stephen Clegg Rowan attended Miami University in 1825–1826. He was the first graduate of Miami to attend the Naval School in Annapolis, even without any Naval training at the university. He participated in three wars during his tenure in the Navy—the

Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

, the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

, and the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. He retired on February 26, 1889 with 63 years of service as an Admiral. He died not long after on March 31, 1890.

Student occupation

One of the most significant moments in Rowan Hall’s history is the occupation of the hall in 1970 during an anti-Vietnam War rally held by the students. The students were originally occupying Roudebush Hall, the main administrative building on campus, when one suggested that they go to Rowan Hall as it housed the university's

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

program. Along with the anti-war protesters, there were members of the Black Student Action Association protesting racial inequality. The occupation included 300 to 400 students who locked themselves in around 5 p.m. on April 15, 1970. The occupation lasted only until 10:45 that night when the State Highway Patrol entered the building and arrested 176 students. Outside the building, the police used riot control measures—tear gas, mace, and dogs—to disperse the crowd. This sit-in led to further student protests demanding amnesty for those who had been suspended for the occupations, revising racial admissions, and in general protest of the police action taken during the event.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures of Miami University