In 2000, I had just arrived at MacEwan as the new director of Facilities. At that time, MacEwan operated three campuses in Mill Woods, Jasper Place and downtown. Despite having opened just seven years earlier, the City Centre Campus was experiencing space compression and lab shortages, primarily coming from the nursing program. To resolve these issues, a decision was made to relocate a number of administrative and support departments from City Centre Campus to the underutilized areas at Jasper Place Campus, as it was called at that time.

Facilities planners and project managers consulted with department representatives on their requirements, and Jasper Place Campus administration was asked about introducing some new design features to the unique and colourful campus. We expected varying opinions on the planned changes, but weren't prepared for the protest that erupted when the brushes and rollers arrived and workers began to change the campus interior's existing banana yellow feature colour to a neutral off-white.

Everyone was outraged. Someone described the new colour as “cadaver grey” and that seemed to be the rallying call to unite and defend the campus. The protest amplified across all the campuses in calls, letters and articles to the executive team, the dean, the board and newsletter. The intrusion and impact of “cadaver grey” even prominently landed in the Edmonton Journal’s feature letter to the editor. Cadaver grey was disrupting classes, assignments and campus life.

After a two-week conflict in Winter 2000, a campus town hall was arranged to listen to and express all concerns, perils and risks. In the MacEwan way, the best decision was reached — the colour reversed to vibrant yellow.

In 2017, the Jasper Place Campus, by then known as the Centre for the Arts Campus (CFAC) was sold to the City of Edmonton and all of the CFAC programs and operations relocated to Allard Hall at City Centre Campus. The facility change management process learned valuable lessons from that moment in 2000 and the consultation around Allard Hall's exterior and interior design and colours benefitted from deep and broad consultation. Ultimately, the colours selected for Allard Hall have been widely accepted. And, with a little prompting, thankfully to its credit, even the City of Edmonton appreciates the radiant history of the old Jasper Place Campus and has, so far, elected to keep the colour as is.

— Stuart MacLean, former associate vice-president of Facilities