NORFOLK — Six months ago, room 2068 of Constant Hall was the scene of a tragedy. Now the former Old Dominion University classroom is unrecognizable.
It has been converted into a lounge called “The Loft.”
The space was the site of the March 12 shooting on campus in which ROTC instructor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was killed and multiple cadets were hospitalized. The assailant was a 36-year-old student named Mohommad Bailor Jalloh. Jalloh was subdued and killed by the class’ cadets. Federal authorities continue to investigate the shooting.
The room and the building were open to students on the first day of classes for the 2026 fall semester. It had closed for weeks following the shooting. Some faculty and staff returned to it in the spring 2026 semester. No public notice was made about the building’s reopening.
“As we move forward together, we will continue to thoughtfully consider how the space can best serve our community and support the engagement and well-being of all Monarchs,” a statement signed by ODU administration read.
The redesigned area features chairs, tables, couches and some sound-proof meeting pods. Images published in the Cooley Report show the old classroom had rows of desks and chairs that extended to one wall with a pathway on the other. A projector on the ceiling cast to a retractable screen on the front wall, which also had a white board. The wall that had separated the classroom from a sloped hallway was remodeled into a half-high barrier.
Virginia Hilton, a university spokesperson, said the total cost of conversion came out to $234,519. While a tribute to Shah is not planned for the room, she said, a monument has been erected in his honor outside the S.B. Ballard Stadium. Additionally, Shah’s widow, Katherine, recently announced a foundation formed in her late husband’s name centered on ROTC safety.
John Buzbee, 757-879-7421, john.buzbee@virginiamedia.com