After the long-awaited completion of Matthew Knight Arena, returning University students should be accustomed to construction crews hard at work across campus. First-year and transfer students will soon get used to it as well — it doesn’t look like the ubiquitous rumble will leave anytime soon.
With a proposed $160 million renovation and expansion of the EMU and the Student Recreation Center being discussed by University officials, and a $34 million upgrade of the University’s Central Power Station already in the works, the University isn’t shying away from updating campus.@@http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/26516638-41/construction-projects-state-building-million.html.csp@@
Despite the Oregon legislature cutting back on the Oregon University System’s building dollars this past summer, this trend continues across campus.
Allen Hall, home to the University’s School of Journalism and Communication and one of campus’ oldest buildings, is in the process of a $20 million renovation and expansion that has a projected completion date of December 2012.
The building, which houses wings built in 1923 and 1954, will have energy and seismic upgrades and will be the home to a new “digital commons” — an open-air collaborative computer lab available for students.
During the construction, journalism students have been displaced to the SOJC’s temporary home in Agate Hall. The switch has received mixed reactions from journalism students.
“I think I would’ve rather just had an old building than dealing with this construction,” said University junior Tamara Feingold, @@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Tamara+Feingold@@a journalism major. “It’s going to be a major inconvenience to run back and forth all the way to Agate Hall.”
Though Feingold admits the renovation was due, she hopes it will be worth it for future students.
“It’s frustrating, because I won’t even get to use it very much. I’ll be getting ready to graduate when it’s done,” Feingold said.
“I’m really excited to see the new renovations,” University junior journalism major Addison Moore said. “Allen really needed an update.”
Moore — and University officials — point to the program’s established history of luring in potential students as a major reason for the upgrade.
“We need something like this to grow as a University,” Moore said. “So many people come here for journalism that an update like this could really bring in more students.”
Elsewhere, on campus’ east side, private donations have enabled the University to commence building a new residence hall.
With a price tag of $71.5 million, the East Campus Residence Hall should be ready to house approximately 450 students by fall 2012. @@http://insideoregon.uoregon.edu/uo-lewis-integrative-science-building/@@Planned academic themes for the hall have been previously announced as Language Immersion and Honors. It will replace the Living-Learning Center, completed in 2006, as the newest residence hall. Outside of the LLC, the youngest residence hall on campus is 40 years old. East Campus will be the most expensive residence hall in the school’s history, and it isn’t the only new building breaking records.
The University will soon have a new most expensive academic building upon completion of the Lewis Integrative Science Building. According to the building’s website, the completed project will “provide expanded facilities for research focused toward understanding brain function, improving human health, developing safe technology and achieving sustainability.” Work on the building can be seen from Franklin Boulevard.
And just over the bridge by Autzen Stadium, work is being made to build a new six-story, 130,000 square-foot football operations center — or centers, as the finished building will actually be two complexes connected by a skybridge.
The center is being completely funded by Nike founder Phil Knight, who will lease the land from the University, hire teams to build and furnish the complex and turn it back over to the school when upon completion.
Knight built the John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205015255@@ near Matthew Knight Arena in a similar manner. As with the construction of that building, Knight will not disclose the building costs of the football operations center.