Snow day: A Student's Perspective

  

 Since the snow is finally melting and temperatures are beginning to rise, I felt that now would be a good time to recognize what an incredible job our crews did of making sure campus was kept safe!

    As a student living off campus, I noticed such a big difference in the roads on campus as opposed to the roads off campus. When I came onto campus, I constantly saw trucks plowing the roads and crews snow blowing and salting the sidewalks despite the blizzard like conditions.

    The snow was falling rapidly and our crews decided to brave the cold to make sure campus was safe for us to walk and drive on.

    Think about it this way; while we were cozied up in our dorms/apartments on Friday, ecstatic to have a day off from class, crews were hard at work- making sure the roads and sidewalks were clean.

   When we came back Monday, Facilities Management even offered to help student’s clear snow from our vehicles in MSU lots in addition to the work that they were already doing!

    To me, this says a lot about the employees at Facilities Management. They sacrificed their snow day to keep students safe. 

    So the next time there’s a big snow, be sure to thank a crew member for keeping our roads and sidewalks safe!

Andria Hansford is a junior studying Marketing and Public Relations at Morehead State University.

She is a student employee for Facilities Management. Hansford will be helping develop communication efforts on campus that highlight progress on projects.

She is Intramural Chair for the social sorority, Chi Omega and will be pursuing a graduate degree in Business Administration when she graduates.

Construction: A Student's Perspective

  For those of you students living on campus (specifically in or around Nunn Hall, The Mignons, or Alumni Hall) you probably wake up early in the mornings. Sometimes before your alarm to the sound of dozers, scrapers, and pretty much any other loud construction vehicle you can think of. For some of you, this even happens on the weekends when you’re trying to sleep in. Or what about the maze that you have to walk/drive through to get to the wellness center?

   And I’m sure you’re even more upset with the fact that the parking lot across from it is completely gone. By this point, I’m sure you all are fed up with all of the never ending construction happening right outside your window. You’re probably not concerned with the construction being done, you just want it to be over. Am I right?

  Well for those of you that are feeling this way, I’m here to tell you how all this construction is worth those extra minutes of sleep that you could have had and that parking spot right next to your dorm you lost.

    A new parking garage/dining facility is being constructed in the place of Waterfield Hall. The parking garage creates 400 new parking spots on three parking decks which compared to what we currently have, is A LOT of extra parking. The dining areas will be 25,000 square feet and will overlook the central residence community.

    This project is being based on what you, the students, have to say. One of the top student concerns on this campus was parking. When the new parking garage is intact, this problem will improve tremendously. I know that construction begins early and ends late, but the earlier they begin, the later they end, and the extra weekends they put in just means that it will be done quicker.

   The demolition of Regents Hall, Wilson Hall, and the parking lot across from the wellness center has provided the space for construction of the new residence hall. This updated residence hall will house 550 students. It will be designed so that students will have much more privacy than they have experienced in previous residence halls. It is the first new, on-campus residence hall since 1969 so it is a huge step forward for Morehead State University.

    Although the renovations to ADUC have not begun, this will quite possibly be the best construction project of them all! Beginning in the fall semester of 2016, ADUC will be closed for expansion. There will be alternative dining services offered while the expansion is being completed. Although this may be unfortunate to some students, the final result will be one in which the students on this campus should be ecstatic to experience.

   The new ADUC will provide students with various new food options including a sports pub, Steak & Shake, MOE’S pizza, and Which Wich. It will include a coffee lounge and a movie theater, there will be multiple student lounges dispersed all over this building, as well as many more new and exciting additions that are still being finalized.

   The upcoming years at Morehead State University are very exciting. An immense amount of change and improvement are being made to our campus and we get to be a part of it. Although the construction may seem like a burden now, the outcome will make it all worth it. As a student, I feel lucky to attend a university that cares enough to listen to our concerns and actually does something to make a difference.

  We asked for additional parking, updated residence halls, a more “student friendly” student center, and that’s just what we are getting. I know it’s hard, trust me, but next time you wake up to the sound of trucks and dozers...just try to remember what an awesome university we attend and how much better our lives will be when it’s all finished.

P.S. I’ll let you in on a little secret called tentative completion dates;

Parking Garage: March 2016

Residence Hall: August 2016

Dining Facility: Spring 2017

ADUC: January 2018 

Andria Hansford is a junior studying Marketing and Public Relations at Morehead State University.

She is a student employee for Facilities Management. Hansford will be helping develop communication efforts on campus that highlight progress on projects.

She is Intramural Chair for the social sorority, Chi Omega and will be pursuing a graduate degree in Business Administration when she graduates.

Much More Progress: PowerPoint

This file is the most updated look at several projects that Facilities Management thought directly impacted students. Some of these projects are in progress, some have not been started and all are evolving. This PowerPoint is just a brief overview of the many exciting things happening at Morehead State University that will provide much more opportunity for students, alumni and the region the school serves.

We will continue to post updates and expand on this document and create others. Facilities Management is working diligently to find ways to connect all of the vital information about your campus to you. This presentation was shared at a student forum hosted by the Student Government Association and we hope that you will look over it and use it in any way that might benefit the campus community.

Thank you for your patience as we celebrate MSU's history, enhance the present and build a new future. 

Updated Master Plan ppt

Much More Progress: Derrickson Agriculture Complex Update

Welcome inside of the Derrickson Agriculture Complex's new residence hall. Each of the 4 individual units in the structure will house 6 students and will include 3 double bedrooms with full size beds, 3 full bathrooms, washer and dryer accessibility, and a kitchen combined with a living quarters.

Embracing Change: A Student’s Perspective

  When I first came onto Morehead State University’s campus in the fall of 2013 I must say that I fit the cliché of the typical college student that was lost in their own transitional thinking. 

I was thrown into a new atmosphere, a new selection process of friends, and a whole new tentative schedule as far as academics and extra-curricular activities were concerned. And as many college students do when they first arrive on campus, I went through the motions waiting for someone to tell me otherwise. I would see projects on campus and walk past as if they didn’t concern me, as many of you do when you walk past these construction sites in current progress.

The most thought given was to how they hindered my walk to class or my sleeping in on the weekends. As an applied engineering student, it was hard to convince myself that getting involved with the progress of my university was a duty of mine. What did I know? What was my place in the matter?

Well the truth is, we as students have everything to do with the matter, and we should take pride in it. Now into my junior year at MSU as an engineering technology major, I have been presented many opportunities that have allowed me to voice my opinion for myself and my peers.

I have taken classes in structural design, computer aided design, and material sciences that have given me background knowledge on the subject of infrastructure and its impact on society.

You can view your education as strictly classroom based or you can take your knowledge and go see how it is truly applied in the real world. I have the privilege of working at the Facilities Management Office and visiting each of the construction sites, seeing the plans being put into action, working with the people who drew them up, and knowing what my campus is going to offer me while I am here and what it is going to offer for future generations to come. It is truly amazing.

Understand that as you walk the campus now, crews are working to build a $28 million residential facility; the first on campus to go up since Cartmell Tower in 1969. That means generations of alumni for nearly the past 50 years have not gotten to see this campus progress the way you’re getting to now. Hopefully, that makes you think differently about those excavators and dump trucks.

Across the road from that, another team is working to construct a $17.6 million parking and dining structure that will cover in total about 135,000 square feet! Just a couple of years prior, everyone on this campus knew this patch of land as the site of Waterfield Hall, and believe me, it looks better as a construction zone than an AC window unit residence hall.

These are only two of the examples of what is to come. Over at the Academic Athletic Center, a renovation to turn the old McClure Pool into the new home for the MSU Lady Eagles Volleyball Team has made excellent strides.

Across campus at the Adron Doran University Center, plans are in place for an expansion that is going to present accommodations for students to go crazy over! These plans feature various new food options including a sports pub, MOE’s Pizza, Which Wich, and Steak & Shake. It will include a coffee lounge, a theater, multiple student lounges, and more additions to be finalized.

My advice to any students walking campus, freshmen or not, stay informed and know what your campus is going to do for you. What is coming is extraordinary!

Don’t be intimidated to get involved. Don’t wait for the opportunity to come to your doorstep. Instead, walk out the front door and go searching for it. Find a way to stay updated and have a voice in the matter. Follow social media, read posts, inquire on projects, talk to people, INVOLVE YOURSELF! I mean, this is your home for four years so make it all that you can while you are here.

See how MUCH MORE, MSU really does have to offer.

Brandon Heinrich, is a junior Engineering Technology student at Morehead State University. 

He is a work study for Facilities Management. Heinrich has been an integral part of developing social media presence and often tours the construction sites, documenting progress.

He is Vice President of Pi Kappa Phi and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. 

Much More Progress: Concrete, Pipes, and Walls

Denark Construction has been working from dawn to dusk to keep the new Residence Hall on schedule for an August 2016 open date.

This week 45 crew members poured concrete for the foundation of the building and walls are beginning to take form. An elevator pit has been shaped and lines are being laid for water, sewage and electricity.

Stairwells are being created and the building is starting to take shape.

Speaking of shape, this building, when finished will have a unique "h" design that will provide a courtyard area, and rooms that will be more private and comfortable for students. 

Total cost of the build will be about $28 million funded through agency funds and bonds. This is the first new residential facility to be built on campus since 1969.

Much More Progress: Volleyball Facility Update

The new volleyball facility is coming along great! This 30,000 square foot facility will have seating capacity for 1,400 and will include four practice courts, weight training and locker rooms, offices, and a club suite.