While many students are gone for the summer, the campus will still be alive and well. Among the campus activities will be an array of construction projects, most notably, the groundbreaking for a new residence hall.

The new residence hall will be built between Cessna Stadium and Morrison Hall, replacing the parking lot that is currently there. It will house around 770 students, mostly freshman and some returning undergrads.

Single rooms, standard doubles, double rooms, and quad rooms will be available. Similar to existing on-campus housing, each floor will have a laundry room, community kitchen and lounge area. It is expected to be ready for students by the 2014 fall semester.

The construction of the new residence hall is part of President John Bardo’s effort to improve the quality of student life at Wichita State and increase the amount of student involvement on campus.

“The biggest thing that students will see is that there will be more student life by having students congregated in the center of campus, where the Rhatigan Center, student housing, and new dining facility are all within an easy walk to each other,” Bardo said. “And that tends to create more buzz, more interest, and more people being around campus.”

President Bardo commented that the loss of parking spots in the center of campus could be a possible negative impact of the construction in the short-run. He encourages arriving at class early for the first few weeks. Students, faculty and staff will then be aware of what the parking options are, including a new lot to accommodate the loss.

“The biggest issue in the short-run is just getting people used to what the parking options are, the best times to get here, and where the best places to park are for you. But other than that, that will be the only negative thing,” Bardo said.

President Bardo commented on how that the loss of parking spots in the center of campus could be a possible negative impact of the construction in the short-run.

He encourages to come to class earlier for the first few weeks. They will then be aware of what the parking options are, including a new lot to accommodate the loss.

“The biggest issue in the short-run is just getting people used to what the parking options are, the best times to get here, and where the best places to park are for you. But other than that, that will be the only negative thing,” Bardo said.