Students Return to New Buildings and Construction
By Angeles Oviedo, Associate Reporter
This past weekend, Santa Clara welcomed new freshmen and returning students to a transformed campus. With summer came the completion of the new Admissions and Enrollment Services Building and the new Graham Complex, alongside changes in other residence halls and the campus' neighboring areas.
The new Admissions Building, formally known as the Patricia A. and Stephen C. Schott Admission and Enrollment Services Building, was completed just before commencement last June. According to Mike Sexton, Vice President for Enrollment Management, the new Admissions Building had been part of a master plan drafted by the university 10 years ago. The need for the new building, he explains, was due in part to its inconvenient location on campus and its inefficiency in assisting students. There was a need to streamline the enrollment processes between the Admissions, Financial Aid and Bursar's Offices, Sexton explained, likening the students to ping-pong balls going back and forth between different offices. Much of the purpose of the new building was "not just flash, but focus," said Sexton.
The new Admissions Building features OneStop, a collaboration between the Admissions, Financial Aid, and Bursar's Offices, meant to facilitate the enrollment processes for students. Alongside this purpose, the building stands as a representation of the university to visitors. The main feature of the building, according to Sexton, is not the venue itself, but the content that will soon be featured on the screens on the first floor. The screens will air images that represent the Santa Clara heritage, from the Jesuit identity to Silicon Valley, Sexton said.
A variety of developments and changes were also made in housing on campus this past summer. According to the Housing Office, the newly built Graham Complex is now home to 350 students, comparable to the number of students who live in Swig Hall: about 400. St. Clare and Bellarmine Halls, which formerly housed undergraduate students, are now exclusive to graduate students.
Nobili Hall, which was repurposed last year to house the Alpha Residential Learning Community during the reconstruction of the Graham Complex, has reverted to its "quiet dorm" status, housing sophomores, juniors, and seniors seeking quieter living arrangements.
Beyond the new Admissions Building and changes in housing, Santa Clara underwent further change in its neighborhood this summer with the close of an iconically student-favorite yogurt shop, Blondie's Frozen Yogurt. Blondie's, which joins the ranks of Mission City Coffee Roasting Co. and Stuft Pizza, two food spots that closed its doors last year, bidding adieu to the Santa Clara community in late June.
A new creamery is expect to open its doors to the community in the near future.
By August, the previous frozen yogurt shop's windows braved a new name: Mission City Creamery, featuring Blondie's familiar pink and blue color scheme. According to its website, the ice cream shop will open in September and serve hand-crafted gourmet ice cream.
Developments both on and off campus signal an evolving campus with more changes to come.
Future plans in store for the campus include a new Art & Art History Building and a new softball stadium are currently in the works to support Santa Clara's NCAA Division I softball team.
Contact Angeles Oviedo at AOviedo@scu.edu or call (408)554-4849.