Brand new changes for 2009-10
By Kurt Wagner
Late night calls of "Wake up, Swig!" may soon be a thing of the past.
Santa Clara's most populated residence, Swig Hall, received a brief makeover this summer. New windows were installed into the building, replacing the original windows from the buildings construction in 1965.
"We got more energy efficient windows in there now," said Don Akerland, the director for planning and projects for university operations.
They also help with soundproofing, which may filter out some of the more disruptive sounds Swig used to regularly endure.
The new window installation was just one of many campus projects completed over summer. Students can also look forward to a new lifeguard office at the Sullivan Aquatic Center, new turf for Buck Shaw Stadium and improved lighting and new flooring in the Leavey Center.
The new lighting in Leavey comes equipped with different lighting levels so as to improve the visuals for televised games. The lights, scheduled to be installed sometime this week, will also be more energy efficient, Akerland said.
"Whenever you do an upgrade to save utility costs and to improve the energy usage, I guess the primary aspect of it is we're going to reduce our carbon footprint," Akerland said.
Pool staffers will surely appreciate the benefits of the new lifeguard office as they will no longer need to hide under an overhang to protect themselves from inclement weather.
Perhaps the most noticeable change on campus has been the newly renovated Cellar Market, which opened its doors for the first time last Thursday, roughly a week later than the store has opened to students in years past.
"It was tough through the summer to pack [renovation] all into 10 weeks," said Fabio Soto, General Manager for Bon Appetit, who categorized the late opening due to "construction delays."
The Cellar has increased substantially in size, roughly 30 percent, as it has added both a storeroom and a walk-in refrigerator. Product volume has increased drastically as well with the addition of taller and more numerous shelving units.
Much like the other university projects over the summer, the Cellar was renovated with the school's environmental parameters in mind. New soda machines help cut down on plastic bottle usage. Water dispensers will also uphold the university water policy around campus, Soto said. Even the floor and paint are more environmentally friendly.
Despite all of its new attributes, Soto's favorite new addition to the Cellar is the farmer's market, which provides students with access to fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. The farmer's market also contains recipe cards that correspond with the available produce on the shelf so students can create their own meals at home.
"It's really an element that no other convenience store has," Soto said. "If we didn't have that it would just be more pre-packaged product. Kind of like a 7-Eleven on steroids."
The goal is to change the recipe cards seasonally, he said. This quarter, students can find recipes for guacamole and southwestern salad.
The official opening of the store will take place on Thursday, October 1 with vendors like Pepsi and Core-Mark scheduled to make an appearance with giveaways and promotions.
Contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu or (408) 554-4849.