The construction taking place
around the Bucks campus is
winding down, with most of the
projects being completed within
the next few weeks.
One of the more noticeable
projects nearing completion is
the Student Life Clubs and
Organizations offices, situated at
the top of the stairs in Rollins.
That location was formerly
occupied by the Transfer and
Career Counseling offices.
The home for Clubs and
Organizations has been bounced
around several times since, making
way for the Testing Center.
Temporarily, they were situated
near the Fireside Lounge.
“[The clubs] are excited,” said
Student Life Director Matt
Cipriano. “The Clubs and
Organizations have been very
patient and understanding
throughout all our renovations.”
In addition to offices, the new
space will house meeting areas
for smaller club gatherings. The
Student Life conference room,
located next door in SLIC, will
still be used for larger groups.
Storage space for the clubs is also
part of the renovation, including
computer stations for the clubs
to make flyers detailing campus
events.
Cipriano feels the new location
will lead to an increase in club
membership on campus. “This
space renovation is the perfect
location for them to get noticed.
It is common knowledge that the
more visible you are, the more
likely people will try and connect
with you. You can’t get
much more visible than the top
of the stairs in the Rollins
Center.”
There is no set date yet as to
when the clubs and organizations
will move in to their new
space, but Cipriano hopes it will
take place by mid-November. “I
hope that this renovation will
show how important the college
considers student involvement
and clubs and organizations,” he
said.
Another visible project to students
is the renovation of the
library lobby.
Mark Grisi, executive director,
physical plant, said that this was an effort to match the lobby’s
appearance with that of the first
floor.
Decorative painting will take
place, with the exposed concrete
in the ceiling being painted
black. In
addition, a
curved metal
ceiling, similar
to the one
on the first
floor, is
b e i n g
installed.
Counters
will be set up
along the
wall in the
lobby as a
place for students
to do
work and use
l a p t o p s .
There is also
going to be a
display set
up for
b r o c h u r e s
about the
campus.
However,
this renovation has caused some
students frustration. “They
should re-route traffic so that
they don’t get in the way of the
construction crews. If I was
working, I wouldn’t want people
walking through,” said 20-yearold
Matt Rumpf.
Among the other projects nearing
completion is the replacement
of the steam line near
Hicks. The last piece of the line is
being installed and all of the
pipes are in the ground. This
steam line provides heat and hot
water to the older structures on
campus, including the cottages
and Tyler.
In this system, steam is produced
in the boiler house and
pushed through a series of pipes
by pressure to provide heat to
the buildings. A by-product of
this steam is condensate, which
then becomes hot water for use
in the restrooms.
The revamping of the campus’
electricity system is nearing completion.
The installation of an
emergency generator behind
Founders and Penn is almost finished,
part of a two-fold plan
that includes an additional generator
outside of Pemberton,
which has already been completed.
The generators are designed
to provide power to the building’s
lights in the event of a
power outage, allowing for
orderly evacuations in an emergency.
The rewiring of the exterior
parking lights is 95 percent completed
according to Grisi. The
rewiring has created more lighting
grids than the previous layout,
allowing only the sections of
the campus that are in use to be
lit. The rewiring was designed
for better control and energy efficiency.
Besides the clubs and organizations
offices, Rollins has been
undergoing roof renovations,
along with Founders.
Grisi said that the roof was
down, and that the metal work
was now being completed. Flat
coping, a protective edge, is set
to be installed. The roof is supposed
to be completed in the
coming weeks. Additionally, the
renovation of the Rollins’ bathrooms
has been completed.
The next construction projects
to take place at Bucks won’t
occur until winter break. During
that time, the third and fourth
floor classrooms of Penn will be
renovated. The renovations will
involve cosmetic changes, such
as carpeting, ceilings, lighting
and painting. Some new furniture
will be installed, including
the switch from chalkboards to
whiteboards.