UC Progress Update

Dear Adelphi Community,

With summer nearing an end, we are pleased to report significant progress on the renovation of the Ruth S. Harley University Center. If you have been on campus this summer, you have undoubtedly noticed changes on campus. Safety fencing is in place around the UC, wrapped with informative Adelphi-style banners that help keep our campus clean and dust-free; our general contractor, Whiting-Turner, has an office in a trailer at the north edge of Parking Lot 2; all building prep is complete and interior demolition is underway. Also in Parking Lot 2, we have created a walking path to replace the sidewalk that was temporarily enclosed by the necessary safety fencing around the UC. Signage is in place to direct you to safe areas for walking; please observe the new foot-traffic pattern and always drive carefully on campus.

Dining on Campus

Construction of the temporary dining hall on the lawn between Blodgett and Levermore halls is nearing completion. To ensure everyone’s safety, temporary fencing is installed around the site, including the path to the east of the structure–along the rose garden and Flagpole Lawn. Some of our rosebushes were relocated to accommodate the structure; they have been carefully replanted within the same flower bed area or elsewhere on campus.

Our survey to select a name for the temporary dining structure yielded an impressive 1,800 responses! The overwhelming majority of them (more than 1,300) were from students. By popular demand, the dining hall will be named the Panthers’ Den Dining Hall. With seating for 200 people, food service, heating, air conditioning and restrooms, along with the same menu and services as the UC offered, this hall will be a welcome addition to our campus once the fall semester gets under way.

The food truck that we had on-site ran into some trouble when the heat wave struck in July and had to be taken out for service, but it and others will be back on campus by the start of the fall semester. In its place for now, the popular #Cheeseplease has reopened in the Center for Recreation and Sports (CRS). The hours and menu are similar to the food truck offerings, and it is serving its very popular loaded tots and ice cream every day.

Paths, Wayfinding, Signage

Our Office of University Communications and Marketing (UComm) team created the banner that enhances the fence around the UC renovation site, and they are working on updated campus signs to assist visitors and all of us navigate some of the changes on campus this semester.

Bookstore

During the renovation of the Ruth S. Harley University Center, the Adelphi University Bookstore has been relocated to the mezzanine level of the Center for Recreation and Sports (CRS). Students, faculty and staff can shop for apparel, Adelphi gear, sundries and supplies at the bookstore’s interim location.

Students: Remember, all books for the 2019-2020 school year must be ordered online and extra time should be allowed for processing and shipping. Books ordered online will be delivered to Campbell Lounge in the Center for Recreation and Sports for pickup or can be sent to another address for a delivery charge if you prefer.

Other Impacts on Campus

Materials necessary for the UC renovation will continue to arrive on campus periodically. The project management team is making every effort to minimize disruption to the campus. To date, we have occasionally needed to close one entrance to the campus–the one closest to the UC on South Avenue–while leaving all others open. If and when any parking or traffic impacts are anticipated, we will make every effort to communicate this information to you as soon as possible.

In order to receive the timeliest information, we encourage all community members to:

1. Follow the What’s Happening Today page on the UC Progress website

2. Download the AU2GO app (and if you already have it, install the latest update) and enable push notifications

Meeting and Event Space During the UC Renovation

Our Office of Auxiliary and Event Services has made arrangements for additional meeting and event spaces during the renovation of the UC. A complete list of locations is available on the UC Progress website, and Auxiliary and Event Services staff will help you identify the best location for your meeting or event. Adelphi staff and faculty may continue to book spaces through the EMS system on eCampus, with support from the team. Student leaders are encouraged to continue to book events in person through the reservations coordinator, who is located at the IT Help Desk in Swirbul Library. As always, reservations for classrooms are handled through the Registrar’s Office and reservations for gymnasium space are handled by Campus Recreation.

Next Steps

In the coming weeks, you will see heavy equipment and steel arriving on campus. These are necessary to install the footings and lay the foundation for the new areas of the UC. After that, the steel work will begin, during which our contractor will be framing the new sections of the building.

When our UC reopens next year, it will be a vastly enhanced center of student, academic and social life at Adelphi University. It will include an enlarged, glass-walled student lounge, a lactation room, fully accessible and gender-neutral bathrooms, improved accessibility, modernized technology and video recording options for conferences, a larger UC Café and a full Starbucks, and a beautiful outdoor space for dining, classes or lounging.

We will continue to communicate with you throughout the renovation project, and we encourage you to utilize the latest version of the AU2GO mobile app, where you can enable push notifications for the topics that are important to you. We are always interested to hear feedback from the Adelphi community, so if you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email UCProgress@adelphi.edu.

Sincerely,

The UC Progress Team