and mechanical renovations as
part of an ongoing process of
improving the Newtown campus.
Students at Bucks have seen
signs stating, “Please excuse our
appearance while we improve
your college,” all over campus
recently. However, it does not
detail what exactly is being constructed
or renovated.
Mark Grisi, executive director,
physical plant, said that the two
most noticeable changes to students
are the Hub and the
Student Life Clubs and
Organizations offices.
The Hub opened in June 2008,
and houses the offices of
Financial Aid, Admissions,
Student Accounts and
Registration, which were formerly
spread across the campus.
These offices deal with the
process of applying to and
becoming a student at Bucks.
Student Accounts handles billing
and tuition payments, while
Financial Aid assists students
with scholarships, loans and
grants that enable students to
afford educational expenses.
Previously, the Financial Aid
office was located on the second
floor of Tyler Hall, across the
campus from Registration inside
Pemberton Hall. “It makes sense
to put them in the same general
area. It makes it more convenient
for students,” said 20-year-old
student Matt Rumpf.
Over the next three to four
weeks, the Student Life Clubs
and Organizations offices will
occupy a new location in
Rollins. These offices will occupy
the space that formerly held the
Transfer and Career Counseling
offices across from the cafeteria.
The clubs offices were formerly
located in the space now occupied
by the Testing Center, and
were temporarily placed near the
Fireside Lounge in the Rollins
Center. “We’ve been in limbo for
a year now,” said Matt Cipriano,
director of student life.
The new space will have
offices as well as meeting areas
for smaller club gatherings.
Larger groups will use the
Student Life conference room
next door. Additionally, there
will be computer stations for
making flyers detailing events
around campus.
In its new location, Cipriano is
hopeful that the clubs will be
more visible to students and
encourage participation. “We
hope for three things: One, create
more interest in clubs, two,
encourage the clubs to interact
and work together, such as co-tudents know what’s going on and
spread the word around about different
activities, such as workshops and bake
sales.”
With the Student Life office and the
clubs in the same area, Cipriano said that
it “brings it all together.”
Accessibility concerns have been
addressed with the installation of a new
elevator in Penn Hall, which can be
accessed externally near the portable
classrooms. This is just part of an ongoing
process to make the campus compliant
with the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, prohibiting discrimination
against disabled. The
process, which also included the installation
of an elevator outside the library last
year, will continue next summer with the
addition of elevators in Rollins and
Founders.
The electrical system has been
revamped, with the installation of two
emergency generators outside Pemberton
Hall, and the area behind Founders and
Penn. These generators are designed to
provide power to the building’s lights in
the case of a power outage, so that an
orderly evacuation can proceed in an
emergency.
Additionally, the exterior parking
lights have been rewired into more lighting
grids than the former layout. The new
layout allows only the sections of the
campus that are being used at night to be
lit, allowing for better control and energy
efficiency.
Rollins is in the process of a roof
replacement, and the downstairs bathrooms
have been renovated. Stone work
is being completed behind Tyler, including
the replacement of some of the steps
leading down into the garden area.
There are exploratory talks about creating
a more energy efficient “green campus”
in Newtown, which is underway at
Bristol and Perkasie. However, they are
only in the preliminary stages and do not
have any immediate plans.
During winter break, Penn’s third and
fourth floor classrooms will be renovated.
The renovations will involve mainly cosmetic
changes, such as new carpeting,
painting, lighting and the installation of
whiteboards Instead of chalkboards.
Any students who need assistance in
finding offices or departments that have
changed locations can stop by the Student
Life Information Center near the cafeteria
in Rollins.