WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2006
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 7
CAMPUS
Fixing a good thing
Construction crews take over campus to make summer semester improvements
BY TOM SLAUGHTER
tslaughter@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Construction on campus during the summer months has become a common theme. For the past few weeks, bright orange "road closed" signs have been blocking traffic on Jayhawk Boulevard and Sunnyside Avenue.
A construction worker grabs his water bottle for a drink last Friday morning on the roof of Twente Hall, south of Watson Library. Workers across campus will be repairing roofs and roads throughout the summer,
Joshua Bickel/KANSAN
Corman said. "I say give us a better way."
Current projects include the re-paving of roads, the addition of the Docking gateway near 13th street and Oread Avenue, and the remodeling of the food court in the Kansas Union.
While the noisy construction and blocked streets may serve as an inconvenience to students and faculty waiting for the summer session to start, many still believe all of the work is a necessary evil.
"I think most people understand you have to fix things up when they're falling apart,"
Warren Corman, University architect for the department of Business and Financial Planning, said it is common for problems to arise on projects of this magnitude, but overall everything is still running smoothly.
The paving projects included sections of Jayhawk Blvd. outside of the Kansas Union and the Chi-Omega fountain, and areas of Sunnyside Avenue. They should all be completed by the end of this week, Corman said.
The new gateway, perhaps the gem of all of the projects, is the result of a half-million dollar donation by former state Lt. Governor Tom Docking and his wife, Jill, both KU alumni. The gateway will include a fountain with five jets shooting water vertically. It is scheduled to be completed in September.
Pat Beard, Building Services Director for KU Memorial Unions, has been overseeing the construction inside the Union. He expressed excitement over the new gateway and the improvements to the union because he said that it will hopefully bring more traffic and prestige to the location.
"We were kind of the back door of campus," Beard said.
Beard said the union has been slowly trying to reduce its affiliation with franchises in the food court, citing the end of their relationship with Burger King. He said the company refused to change its method of cooking burgers on the spot, which became a conflict in the interest of time. The Union will introduce its own hamburger station that will place more of an emphasis on speed.
He added that there will be tables and
Also part of the renovations is moving the old coffee shop from the food court to the fourth floor across from Commerce Bank, allowing the salad bar in the food court to expand. Theushi bar will also double in size.
chairs placed outside the Union to create a "sidewalk café-type feel," similar to that at The Underground.
There is close to $500 million in other projects either currently being completed, in the planning process or in fundraising at KU, Corman said.
Hashinger Hall, closed for all of last year because of remodeling, is scheduled to be completed and open to students in August.
CAMPUS
Popular residence hall to reopen with new look and old quirks
BY DANI HURST
dhurst@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Thanks to extensive input from residents, Hashinger Hall will be a new breed of residence halls after renovations are completed.
Malakai Edison, Olathe senior, and Hashinger resident of four years, said he's happy with the way the renovations are working out because the students' ideas and suggestions were taken into account. He joined the Renovation Committee, which was made up of students and administrators from Student Housing and other students, to help ensure that things were being done to accommodate the residents and not just Student Housing.
The bedrooms, for example, were one of the areas of great interest to students. According to Edison, the original plan was to transform the rooms from their original dorm-style to elaborate suite-style. Edison voiced his complaints, claiming that the dorm-style rooms contributed to the community feel that defines Hashinger.
His arguments proved effective, and the rooms remained dorm-style.
Vince Avila, associate director for facilities planning and development for Student Housing, said most of the changes that were made to Hashinger were requested by the students.
"They wanted community bathrooms" Avila said. "That's why we have them."
Denton Nichols, project architect for Treanor Architects, said that he was most proud of the
project because it really reflects the students. He said it looks new but still feels like the old Hashinger.
"It's one of the most successful
projects in my short career," Nichols said. "The students should get a lot of credit. They had a lot to do with it."
Some of the major renovations include more specialized program and practice rooms for both music and dance, small sinks in the rooms, community bathrooms and sheet rock walls to accommodate those students wanting to display artwork on all of the walls in Hashinger.
Edison said he was fine with the renovations as long as they didn't hide the past. For example, he's happy that there will be sheet rock walls that make it easier to display artwork, so long as there are still some cinder block walls left alone.
Diana Hall, Horton senior, said that she's excited to get back to the diverse and open culture of Hashinger.
He will be returning to Hashinger for his fifth year, this time as the desk manager. Edison said a lot of old residents were coming back.
"I consider it my home away from home," Hall said. "Coming back is like coming back home."
Avila said all the renovations on the 15-month project should be done in time for the students to move in at the beginning of the fall semester.
While nothing is set, Avila said GSP-Corbin Hall or Oliver Hall would be the next project.
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