The phrases "U of M" and "construction" will soon prove moresynonymous than ever, but the finished product may spur excitementamong University of Memphis students.
Danny Armitage, associate dean of students, shared finalizedplans to tear down the University Center in 2006 and establish anew 169,000 square foot building for student organizations andother similar activities.
"The new UC will be slightly smaller than the current 180,000square foot facility, but much of the space isn't currentlyusable,\'d3 Armitage said.
Student reaction to the "New UC" was either surprise orindifference.
"That's good," freshman music major Faith Budynas said uponlearning of the future project. "I think a new UC would be awesome.The worst part about it is the furniture."
Senior dietetics major Beverley Mileham seemed indifferent.
"There's nothing really wrong with it," Mileham said. "I almostnever go in there."
When asked if she had reservations about the new building,Mileham said no, provided the cost doesn't negatively affecttuition. "Not unless it affects my pocketbook, which I'm sure itwill."
The price of the New UC is tentatively set at $43 million,Armitage said.
The director of campus planning and design could not be reachedfor comment on the details of the construction.
Sections of the Carpenter Complex will see construction as soonas January, Armitage said.
The residential complex will provide 10 "Living LearningCenters," facilities where students with identical or similardegree programs can live together and form an environment moreconducive to studying and learning.
Each Living Learning Center comprises nine bedrooms, three and ahalf bathrooms, a study and one "common" room where like-mindedstudents can study, work, or hold classes.
"If professors could teach in the students" living area, itcould create a learning environment unique to the students,"Armitage said. "For example, art students could use the700-square-foot common room for projects required of them by theirprofessors."
Common study areas in residence halls are an increasing trend inuniversities across America. The University of South Carolina andIndiana University are just two institutions that have been usingcommon rooms to create a learning environment in residence hallsfor students with similar ambitions.
The Living Learning Centers should be completed sometime in2005, Armitage said.
