Construction vehicles on the St. Bonaventure University campus
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS EDITOR
Like many other St. Bonaventure University students, William McCallum, a freshman biology major, said he has noticed construction vehicles on campus this past semester. Whether it be at Plassmann Hall, near the Reilly Center, or in front of the Murphy Professional building, significant renovations are being made on campus.
One of the major projects that was completed this semester was the re-opening of the Rathskeller, which had been closed for over two years.
McCallum has been going to the Rathskeller since it opened.
“I used to go a lot more often than I do now,” Mccallum said. “I like the food a lot, I just wish you could get more of it. It’s not really a good replacement for the Hickey [dining hall].”
McCallum likes the renovations to the Rathskeller building, though.
“I like the environment a lot, but it’s really packed during 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. [when the Rathskeller accepts meal swipes],” McCallum said. “I wish the space itself was larger because I often can’t find a table to sit at and have to go back to my room with the food.”
Recently, Plassmann Hall has been the focal point of renovations.
“Currently, work is being done on the ground floor which will contain mostly classrooms,” Jared Smith, the director of facilities operations at Bonaventure, said. “HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems] work is also going on now.”
McCallum had the majority of his classes in his freshman year in Plassmann Hall.
“I think a good HVAC system will really be beneficial to Plassmann Hall,” McCallum said. “Some of the rooms I’ve had classes in get really hot — especially in the warmer months — so a good central cooling system would be really nice.”
The ground floor of Plassmann Hall has been under construction for the past two semesters.
“[These renovations have added] nine new classrooms [which] will be opened for the fall of 2023,” Smith said. “[All renovations to] Plassmann Hall are scheduled to be completed in fall of 2024.”
In addition to this, there will be renovations made to some of Bonaventure’s residence halls over the summer.
“So far, this summer we will be replacing some furniture in dorm buildings, painting in a lot of [the] residence areas, [and installing] new kitchen appliances in various townhouses,” Smith said. “The Doyle Hall lounges on the second, third and fourth floors will now have kitchen appliances.”
Evan Genzel, a freshman Doyle Hall resident, believes that the addition of these appliances will lead to a better quality of living.
“I think the kitchen appliances are a great addition and will help out a lot of students,” Genzel said. “Especially because the Hickey closes earlier now.”
The Doyle Hall courtyard is also expected to be completed this summer.
“I would have to see what the finished courtyard looks like to decide how much time I would spend in it,” Genzel said. “Seeing outdoor activities take place there would be interesting.”
