If you walked around and asked Drexel students to describe our campus, most would say it’s always under construction. Now that we’re coming up on summer term, expect to see more construction across campus. Here’s the lowdown on what’s being built where, and what Her Campus at Drexel’s staff members think should be under construction.
What the construction is:
The Study at University City
The Study at University City will be a 145,000-square foot hotel with 212 rooms. It will also feature a 105-seat restaurant and bar. Drexel administration is very excited to have a place on campus for visitors to stay, and think it will be a great addition to the Innovation Neighborhood. The students, however, not so much. Many students say that the building is outdated, and it hasn’t even been completely built yet!
It is slated to open in 2016.
Raymond G. Perelman Center for Jewish Life
The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Jewish Life will be over 13,000 square feet, which will be “Drexel’s first-ever free-standing facility for students to experience Jewish life on campus together,” according to Drexel’s website. It will also serve approximately 1,000 Jewish students.
It is slated to open in 2016.
Race Street Apartments
This new apartment tower will have 162 apartments and 12 three-story townhomes. The target market is not undergraduate students, but young professionals, faculty, staff, and graduate students.
It is slated to open in the spring of 2017.
Korman Center/Korman Quadrangle
News that the Korman Center was being renovated broke a while ago, but students hadn’t heard another word about it until President Fry sent an email about it on May 24th. The building will be renovated and a two-floor solarium will be built in the front of the Korman Center.
Construction is expected to begin next month and will be completed Fall 2017.
Where the construction should be:
Hagerty Library
Having only one library on campus is tough, especially when the third floor has somewhat restricted access. As of now, Club Hags can’t adequately serve its students.
Freshman dorms
If all of our educational buildings are new, shouldn’t our freshman dorms be, too? If we have to share a room with a stranger for a whole year, we should at least have cockroach-free and brightly-lit dorms (I’m looking at you, Kelly and Myers).
Stratton Hall
As a business student, I only cut through Stratton when it’s raining, but even based on these brief interactions, I can tell it needs some serious work.
Nesbitt Auditorium
Its dinginess and bad stage lighting makes this a bad spot to hold events on campus.
Creese Basement
Drexel has a good number of commuters, and the amenities offered for them are pretty horrible. Creese basement, which is home to the commuter lounge, needs a makeover!
Main Auditorium
It has classic charm, but the seats are super uncomfortable and no one likes hearing the constant squeaking of seats when they’re trying to take a two-hour exam.
Randell Hall
It’s a hike to get over there and most students feel that being there makes it feel like it’s the 1950s.
Drexel has a lot of great buildings going up around campus, and we’re looking forward to exploring them. However, we hope that some other practical improvements can be made to various buildings that we have come to know and love!