New union plans showed to students

The designs for the $5.4 million renovation of the Campbell Student Union have been completed, and work on the project will begin in January.

The project includes replacing the central concrete staircase in the union with a more modern glass design and renovating the entire third floor, including the Social Hall, Assembly Hall and Fireside Lounge.

"It's one of the last spaces in the student union to be updated, and it's truly one of the most important," said Sarah Velez, associate director of Student Life.

Students were surveyed to find out what improvements they wanted most in the union. They asked for more comfortable spaces to sit and gather, Velez said, and the new designs will accommodate these wishes.

"We've created many more pockets of space," Velez said.

When construction begins in January, the central staircase and the two ramps up to the dining hall will be closed. A temporary covered ramp will be built to allow access to the dining hall, while the other three staircases will remain open.

The renovations were designed by BHNT Architects, the same firm that designed the union's dining hall, retail dining area and game room.

Events in the Social Hall will benefit from a new stage, better lighting and a professional sound system, Velez said.

Offices that currently exist on the third floor will be relocated, which will allow the Assembly Hall to be expanded to twice its current size, Velez said.

In the meantime, however, students will have to get creative about where they hold their events. The entire third floor of the union will be shut down from April 1, 2012 to the beginning of the Spring 2013 semester.

The Social Hall and the Assembly Hall are the most commonly reserved spaces for student events, Velez said.

"There's only so much we can do, we can't create space that doesn't exist," said Bernadette Tribble, associate manager for Student Events.

Tribble has been working with student groups to help them plan next year's events in the limited amount of space available. She has urged students hoping to plan events to get requests in early.

In the Fireside Lounge, Velez said there will still be plenty of comfortable furniture for students to sleep on, along with a working fireplace.

"There will be fire in the Fireside Lounge," she said.

The Student Life Office has been working to promote the new changes while sharing information about closings with students.

"People are excited," said Kaleigh Mrowka, a graduate student at Buffalo State who has been working as a Renovations Assistant on the project. She added that many students are "apprehensive about the whole third floor going offline."

The campus has already had three displays showcasing the new designs and answering student questions.

Jacob Tierney can be reached by email at tierney.record@live.com.