The Sloss House reopens in spring 2027 and will shelter Parent and Family Programs and Off-Campus Student Support.
University spokesperson Angie Hunt previously said the Sloss House would be closed “while the space is being evaluated for facility improvements and staffing availability.”
The update aims to allow for more consistent staffing at the Sloss House and to refurbish the 142-year-old building.
Among some of the changes, the Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity, established at the Sloss House in 1981, will be closing.
“Following an extensive review of the center, which included frequent staff turnover and recent changes to Iowa law, the Dean of Students Office made the difficult decision to close the center,” the Dean of Students Office stated in a news release.
The new vision of the Sloss House hopes to help preserve the informal, welcoming space for students while also allowing for a place for commuter students to utilize while on campus.
The assistant dean of students for student support, a new role, will oversee the Sloss House. They will report to Kipp Van Dyke, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
The Sloss House was also used as an informal hang-out space for students, a meeting space for student organizations and for events.
It was a hub for a multitude of resources, including a satellite location of the SHOP food pantry known as the Resource Room, where students and their families could access basic needs resources and parental supplies.
After months of no communication from the university on the status of the Sloss House, one student decided to ask for transparency.
Alexis Newport, a graduate student majoring in teaching English as a second language and applied linguistics, created a petition and uploaded a statement to their Instagram asking Iowa State to publicly release a plan stating the future of the Sloss House, how they plan to supplement its resources and an anticipated timeline for its repairs.
Nearly 300 students signed the petition.
“A lot of these concerns weren’t really addressed, or there weren’t many answers available, which is why I went forward with making the petition and going public with our concerns,” Newport said.
Newport’s statement called for Iowa State, in a “time of need,” to “make their commitment to women and gender equity clear.”
“There’s a lot of conversations happening about the institutional lack of support for women at the university level,” Newport said. “While we’re having this conversation, I think it’s important to really reflect on how the university plans on supporting women. The Sloss House being a place where those connections are made and that not being available, especially during this time, is really unfortunate.”
The Tri Iota Women and Gender Studies Honor Society vocalized their support and reposted the statement on their Instagram after being approached by Newport.
The caption of the post tagged Iowa State University and said, “learn from Cornell and their mistakes,” referencing Cornell University’s recent alleged gang rape case.
“Sydney, [Tri Iota] president, and I discussed what we wanted to say,” Annabella Tack, a senior majoring in marketing and Tri Iota marketing chair, said. “A big topic of discussion this past couple of weeks has been Cornell, so we really kind of wanted to push [the university] to actually do something, and give us answers.”
Newport, the Pride Alliance vice president, shared how the Sloss House’s closure has impacted their club and them personally.
“I was aware it was going to be closed over the summer, and then returning to campus planning on using it as a space for a variety of different things and finding out that was unavailable was a little bit of a blindside, because when you’re planning on being able to access these resources, access these spaces and suddenly having to find other resources…especially my club being a queer club and losing the Center a couple years ago, it was pretty hurtful,” Newport said.
Newport met with Van Dyke last Wednesday to discuss students’ concerns about the Sloss House.
The Dean of Students Office released the comprehensive plan in the news release the following day.
“The Sloss House is an important landmark at Iowa State University,” Toyia Younger, senior vice president for student affairs, stated in the release. “The house has a history of bringing people together. It will continue to be a place where students gather, find comfort, and connect with resources.”
The updated Sloss House will include a space for students to study and relax on the first floor, with plans for a kitchen space, study areas and lockers intended for commuter students.
The staff office will be housed on the second floor, where students and families can access specialized resources and support.
“Nearly two-thirds of our student population lives off campus,” Van Dyke stated in the news release. “Providing commuter students and students who live off campus with amenities like lockers, a kitchenette and lounge space in the middle of campus helps a large campus feel smaller and increases their likelihood of remaining on campus each day and engaging with activities. Overall, we hope that all students feel welcome to utilize the space and its new amenities.”
Newport commented on her reaction to the news release.
“I’m happy to see an official release from the university and hope to continue having conversations about the space as it plans on reopening next year,” Newport said.
Students looking to fulfill basic needs resources that Sloss House usually provides can visit the SHOP food pantry at 1306 Beyer Hall or ISU’s Parenting Resource Pantry at the Family Resource Center at 2623 Bruner Dr.