(AP) -- A Western Michigan University building is getting out of the ivy league. The ivy is a distinctive feature of East Hall, but could also be harmful to the bricks and mortar. That prompted Friends of Historic East Campus, a preservation group, to gather Wednesday and begin pulling the ivy down.

Richard Barron, chairman of the Friends' board of directors, says preservationists told the group that the ivy may look romantic and nice, but it shouldn't grow on a building meant to be protected.

East Hall houses Western Michigan's Archives and Regional History Collection. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports school officials plan to move the archives but need to raise the funds to secure a new location.

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