This fall, students were welcomed back to campus with construction around every corner. This left many curious as to what changes are in store for the campus, and how it will affect them during their time at Hardin-Simmons University.
To get the full rundown of everything that is happening on campus, the Brand interviewed President Eric Bruntmyer. One of the top questions students have been asking about new construction is in regard to Moody Center. What is happening to the bookstore, and why was it downsized? The former HSU bookstore is being split into two parts to make the bookstore more of a school spirit shop, and the other half will be the new “presidential” dining suite.
This new space will not just be exclusively for President Bruntmyer and special guests but it also will be available as a formal dining room that organizations on campus can reserve just like other spaces on campus. President Bruntmyer’s examples of ways to use the room included the Student Government Association (SGA) holding a luncheon for its members, or perhaps the Greek Council hosting a presidential luncheon in the new space.With the bookstore getting smaller and on-campus textbook stock decreasing, many students panicked. But no need to worry, students will still be able to order your textbooks through the bookstore in the future.
Other new campus construction includes the expansion of the cafeteria, the completion of the newest on-campus apartments, various dorms receiving updates, planning for an additional dorm to be built and repurposing of Abilene Hall is ongoing.
The Caf and its kitchen are being expanded and remodeled to better accommodate students. In the future, the Caf’s new entrance will eventually be located where the old mailroom used to be and students will exit where the current entrance is situated. There will be more variety of seating arrangements in the Caf to make for better dining experiences for students.
There will be updates to Beherns Hall, Ferguson Hall, as well as approval for a new dormitory to tentatively start construction this summer. There are potential ideas to rearrange which dorms will host male and female students, but details for that are still to come in our next update on construction.
All of these updates and renovations are intended to promote a better college experience for students. President Bruntmyser believes that we, HSU, are better than we have ever been, but not the best we will be.
“I want all of our students to have an amazing college experience,” President Bruntmyer said.
Stay tuned for our next construction update.