Students return to brand-new MSU

Changes make for new feel for old campus stamples, fresh experiences

MSU freshmen are not the only wide-eyed students roaming campus this week. This summer, the dust settled on renovation projects, programs received upgrades and the former Food and Housing Services reinvented itself to give campus a fresh look even for seasoned Spartans. Amid a shortened Fall Welcome, some students spent the days leading up to the start of the semester discovering campus for the first time, while others rediscovered a changed campus.

Renovations

The doors of Owen and Mayo halls opened to students this week after a hiatus from housing students.

For the first time in about 14 months, Mayo Hall will house residents after a large-scale renovation project, said Sharri Margraves, director of Campus Living Services, a unit of the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services.

The $12.5 million face-lift included a new dining area and new bathroom facilities.

“It wasn’t what we call a historic restoration, but what we tried to do was really honor when it was built,” Margraves said.

A high-tech remodeling of Owen Hall rounded out the housing renovation projects slated for completion this summer. The 11-week project cost about $10 million and included an expanded lobby and additional meeting space, a redesigned Riverwalk Market dining facility and alterations to the basement with rooms for small groups.

Margraves said massive renovation projects, such as Mayo Hall and an ongoing $120 million overhaul of Brody Complex slated for completion in Aug. 2011, were required because the buildings’ mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems began to fail.

Student programs

A pair of first-year student experience programs kicked off this week on the floors of two South Complex buildings.

The First Year Experience Program in West Holden Hall and the Spartan Engineering Residential Experience program in Wilson Hall are the most significant Residence Life changes, Director Paul Goldblatt said. The 600 students in the First Year Experience Program will have access to tutors stationed in Holden Hall and will participate in seminars to chart their academic progress.

First-year students were randomly selected to be placed in the program.

Joshua Gillespie, the Residence Life assistant director for the First Year Experience Program, said he hopes it guide students to academic success. The program is expected to expand in the upcoming years until all freshmen not involved in a residential living option are part of the program.

The Spartan Engineering Residential Experience program, formerly known as ROSES, moved from Bailey Hall to Wilson Hall. A computer lab designated for engineering students was added to Wilson Hall for the program. Renée Chabot, an engineering freshman, joined the program after friends told her she would benefit from the experience.

“I was kind of worried I’d be with all engineers on my floor, but I’m really not,” Chabot said. “You have enough engineers (on the floor) that you can go down a couple doors and speak to one.”

Dining changes

Students living on campus and searching for a meal between classes no longer need to hunt for a nearby dining hall or Totally Takeout location.

The Division of Residential and Hospitality Services will allow students to cash in one meal access per day, Monday through Friday, at any Sparty’s convenience store, Union Pizzeria or Serano’s in the Union, or Owen Hall’s Riverwalk Market in place of a dining hall meal.

Guy Procopio, MSU’s director of culinary services, said officials noticed a need for more flexibility in meal plans. The change is one of several made during a reorganization of the division, formerly known as MSU’s Food and Housing Services, which began a year ago.

One of the most visible changes in campus dining appears at the food counter, where staff at The Gallery and Shaw Hall’s dining room now serve most food to students. Procopio said the changes stem from desire to improve dining experience and strengthen food safety.

Procopio said the model is expected to eventually expand to all campus dining facilities.