Shovels turned before an audience of students, staff, community members and government officials at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Union renovations Friday afternoon at the east entrance of the Union.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity today to do the first major renovation in well over 30 years and to create a new environment, a new home, for the students of Emporia State,” said Michael Lane, president of Emporia State University.
Though initiated nearly 10 years ago, serious planning for the project began in 2007. Construction for the $25 million project is projected to begin in late May with a “facelift” for the east entrance.
Also in phase one, which will conclude in February 2011, are renovations to Webb Lecture Hall and lobby. Phase two will extend from December 2010 to August 2011 and encompass revamping the cafeteria and the Hornet’s Nest.
After the phase three renovation of Main Street, the project will be completed in June 2012.
In his remarks to the crowd, Lane recognized the contribution of the students, who through fees, fund nearly $18.5 million of the project. The remainder is funded by private donors.
“This project would not have been remotely possible without a dedicated group of students who put a fee on themselves which is significant, to ensure that this project could be completed,” Lane said.
Angela Blaufuss, ESU alumna and last year’s Associated Student Government president, campaigned for the renovations to increase voter turnout for the fee increase – 20 percent of the study body voted, a record high.
“We have to realize that there are students that come after us and we want a place that students feel at home,” Blaufuss said. “This union will help students feel excited to come here and will help welcome people to Emporia State.”
In fact, through “vision sessions” and priority activities, students have not only largely funded the project, but have influenced major decisions regarding the design and structure of the building.
“Whenever we were talking about a space and trying to design it, we would go back to the things we were told in those sessions and say, ‘ OK, well this really doesn’t fit what we were told students want,’ so we’d go back and redesign it or change it so that it would meet those needs,” said Dave Hendricks, director of the Memorial Union.
The renovations to the Memorial Union will make the campus more welcoming for prospective students, Lane said.
“As the new front door of Emporia State University, this building will provide expanded services for our students,” he said. “It will be the place that prospective students will come for admission materials and begin their tours. It will be the place where our graduating seniors will come to seek opportunities for their careers. It will be the place where international students will come for support as they arrive on campus and it will be the place where our students create their memories of what it was to be at Emporia State University.”
Jonathan Krueger, senior political science major and current ASG president, thinks the plans for the renovation reflect student requests.
“Our students, what they spoke, I believe we have delivered on,” Krueger said. “That is, they want a building that defines Emporia State University and I believe that from the moment anyone walks into the new facility, they will see ESU from the floor to the ceiling.”
The timeline for the project, as well as videos and pictures, will be updated throughout construction and can be found online through a link on the Memorial Union Web page at http://www.emporia.edu/murenovation/.
Loading ...
