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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

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Oldham and Stinson address campus about parking changes By HAYDEN MCMILLEN Beat Reporter

Isaac Wright l The Oracle PRESIDENT OLDHAM AND PARKING - President Philip Oldham addresses students, faculty and staff at the open parking forum Thursday, March 24.

THE FIT:

To address the issues of timing and finances concerning the new parking conditions that will be implemented this fall, a forum was held by President Phillip Oldham and Claire Stinson, vice president for planning and finance, Thursday, March 24 that was open to students, faculty and staff. For the past two years a committee composed of faculty, staff and students have worked with a consulting firm to fix immediate cam-

pus parking needs. “We knew we were going to have to do something to create a different parking alternative on campus,” said President Oldham. “The current situation just will not sustain long term either through access parking or through financing and current parking structures.” The forum proposed the immediate actions taking place. Because of current needs of the almost 860 lost parking spots the $14.2 million project will accommodate 1300 new parking spots for faculty, staff and students. Aside from finances

the main concerns proposed at the forum were the west perimeter parking lots that will offer the majority of new parking spots. Several questions were proposed to Oldham and Stinson that are still being determined by university officials. These issues included monthly payment plans for faculty and staff, event parking on campus, availability of parking zones for students, faculty and staff and shuttle route schedules. The University is still determining the details for these questions. Although issues are still

being determined, Stinson said that in order to prevent further issues one of the goals is to keep parking at no more than 80 percent at one time. The new project has had some negative views as far as its proposal to the student body. Alex Martin, junior, finance economics major, addressed the issue. “I really think that SGA dropped the ball as far as informing students as far as what was going to happen,” said Martin. “We could have more input into this issue and at the end of the day fought more for students.”

ResLife to begin renovation in Maddux and McCord

Renovations to install an HVAC bullet system

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It’s a real positive thing, and once it gets finished it will be a good improvement for the Hoop and the Fit. —David Mullinax, Fitness Center Director

By ANNA MCFARLAND Beat Reporter Mistaken by many students as a walking bridge from the Tennessee Technological University Hooper Eblen Center to the Fitness Center, the exterior renovations between the two buildings are installing a heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC, bullet system independent of the rest of Tech’s campus. Fitness Center Director David Mullinax said the new heating and air system will operate for the Hoop and the Fit only, which will allow for more efficient and cheaper use of the system. “We’ve needed to be independent for a long time,” said Fitness Center assistant director Suzann Hensley. The end result of the renovations will be a two-story entrance area with a walk-through covered area at the Fit’s entrance on the first level and the boilers on the second level. The second level will not be accessible. The renovations will also enable the pool heating system to be heated by gas rather than steam. The Fit’s indoor pool will then be available year-round rather than closing for 20 days each year. “It’s a real positive thing, and once it gets finished, it will be a good improvement for the Hoop and the Fit,” said Mullinax. The Fit’s entrance will be under construction until October or November, during which time students can use the pool patio deck entrance to access the inside of the Fit. The Fit will celebrate its 25th year of operation this summer, and improvements and enhancements to the building are necessary to maintain a positive facility for the students, faculty, staff and the community to use.

By ANNA MCFARLAND Beat Reporter Maddux/McCord Hall will close for renovations beginning in the summer of 2016. The $5.8 million renovations on Maddux/McCord will be completed in fall 2017, including new HVAC units, plumbing, flooring, doors, paint, bathroom upgrades and new furniture. During the renovations from Fall 2016 to Spring 2017, residents currently living in Maddux/McCord will be relocated to either Cooper/Dunn hall, also the temporary home of the Engineering Village, or placed in another room or apartment on campus, said Josh Edmonds, assistant director of operations. The funds for all renovations come from student housing fees, and the newly renovated buildings cost more per year than the non-renovated, said Residential Life Director Charlie Macke. “We’re an auxiliary service,” Macke said. “It means we don’t get any money from the state or any money from the university.” Macke The renovations to Tech’s residence halls are more expensive every year, and have been costing around $6 million. Because the renovations cost more each year, student fees will continue to increase in attempts to cushion the cost. “Every year our price goes up a little bit, between 3 to 5 percent, because everything goes up,” said Macke. Despite the yearly increase, studenthousing fees do not come close to covering the cost of renovations. ResLife has a payment plan in place to pay off multiple state-funded bonds, but the department claims the renovations are necessary and beneficial. In addition to the increase in student fees, Edmonds explained the prepayment of $100 to reserve a room on campus that is only refundable if the student is eligible

The Oracle M&M - Maddux/McCord Hall will undergo renovations beginning in the Summer of 2016. The Engineering Village will be relocated to Cooper/Dunn Hall. to cancel the application by specific dates. For the fall academic year applications, the cancelation must be complete by May 1, for spring applications the date is Dec. 1, and for summer applications the date is May 1. “That’s the unfortunate part of things is we’ve gone from fairly debt-free, outside of the two new buildings, to now having a higher debt,” said Macke. ResLife’s renovation budget is also suffering from the decrease in freshman students living on campus because of the Tennessee Promise scholarship, which allows qualified students to attend a community college free for two years. “It has had an effect on us,” Macke said. Freshman and sophomores make up nearly 60 to 65 percent of students living on campus, according to Macke. He claims ResLife was down approximately 300 students from last year’s resident numbers, and the money the department is bringing in does not cover the cost of the loans. According to Edmonds, the numbers have decreased from 2,268 in fall 2014 to 1,938 in fall 2015. “I have seen an effect of the Tennessee Promise in Browning/Evins and Cooper/ Dunn,” said ResLife Assistant Coordinator Gregory Pateras. “Numbers are down, which makes some residents have double rooms by themselves or gives the resi-

dents to buy out their rooms.” Many students in residence halls are unaware of the cost increase, including three-year resident Abi Dye. “I actually don’t remember ever hearing about an increased fee for living in a dorm,” Dye said. “Although I wish we didn’t have to keep paying fees because it is already expensive as is.” Dye currently lives in Cooper/Dunn but plans to live in a renovated hall next year. “I’m excited about it because the dorms are a lot nicer over there, and there is a kitchen, so that I can cook whenever I want to,” she said. According to Macke, the most costly part of the renovations is the behindthe-scene aspect, such as HVAC units, plumbing, air conditioning and operating systems. Other improvements include new flooring, doors, hardware, paint and furniture. “I think the renovations are absolutely a positive thing for campus, residents and promoting TTU,” said Pateras. “Some of our non-renovated halls are showing their age.” ResLife plans to continue renovations until completion in 2021, despite the lack of student fees for funding. Macke claims the construction could be forced to pause if numbers continue to decrease drastically.

Tucker stadium renovations remain in conceptual planning stages By BRITTANY MCGEE Beat Reporter Tennessee Technological University is beginning conceptual planning for major renovations to Tucker Stadium. Although conceptual planning for the stadium renovations has begun, a start date for the construction has yet to be determined. Offices and locker rooms have suffered from leaking and water penetration making the renovations necessary to the stadium. Athletic director Mark Wilson said renovations to the stadium couldn’t begin until funding for the project has been raised. Currently, the Athletics Department is con-