When walking from the North Residential Village (NRV) to the South Residential Village (SRV), sounds of hammering, drilling, crashing and yelling workers reverberate around the space. Given this, I have taken it upon myself to outline what exactly is occurring and how spaces will be—or have been—altered or constructed during our hiatus for the summer. 

Case Quad

First, the walk across the Case Quad on campus may look a little bit different. Starting in May 2022, the Department of Planning, Design and Construction began renovations for the Quad, with plans to redo paths, disperse seating more efficiently, plant more trees and improve drainage for rainwater. In addition, they are also working to make it a safer space by adding more cameras and better lighting. 

Recently, the walkways and green spaces were completed, but the improvements will not conclude until spring 2023.

In addition, the grassy parts of the quad are roped off from the highly-trafficked pathways through campus due to all-new sod, and students are not permitted on that area for the time being. A number of new bike racks and the like are also part of these planned improvements for the Quad.

The Tinkham Veale University Center

The interior of various buildings around campus have also been given a facelift. 

For one, the Tinkham Veale University Center has a couple of new renovations, including the transplanting of Dunkin’ Donuts into a location that previously housed Cool Beanz, directly next to 8twenty6 and Pinzas. It will still be a part of the student meal plan, as well as the rest of the restaurants within Tink. 

Not only has Dunkin’ moved, but there are new renovations in the area under the wooden staircase. A new office space and more secluded study spaces are currently under construction and should be completed soon.

Residence Halls

Another large construction project includes the addition of two new residence halls in the SRV, with an approximate 600 new beds for the ever-increasing class sizes. These residence halls are predicted to be completed in the fall semester of 2024, so the construction noises reverberating throughout the SRV will remain a facet of everyday life for second-year students for the next couple of years. 

Currently, there are paths around Fribley Commons toward the Murray Hill Residential Community in order to access the Elephant Stairs, which reach the Carlton Road residence halls. The barrier on the sidewalk closer to the stairs will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Students can expect an increase in dust, noise levels and traffic for a time to come. Beyond construction efforts, first-year residence halls Storrs, Cutler and Raymond have received new metal furniture, replacing the wooden furniture that was there before. Most first floor common spaces in these residence halls have also gotten updated furniture.

All in all, our campus, along with its students, has a bright future ahead of it and a number of construction projects to improve the community are underway.