New Buildings on Campus! A Commuter’s Paradise

Get excited Jaguar nation, as multiple new projects are unveiled to be on the horizon after a sit down with Associate Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Dr. Jackson. Dr. Jackson reveals Southern University’s plans for new Residential Life and Housing, a Welcome Center, and a brand-new Student Union on The Bluff.
Meeting with Dr. Jackson, he reveals the new “Remodeling” plans for a new and improved Student Union. Dr. Jackson goes on to clarify that these plans are for a brand-new Student Union separate from the Smith-Brown Memorial Union we have today. As of now, it is unknown if this new union is expected to replace the Smith-Brown Memorial Union, however, it is implied that this will be a separate Student Union entirely. The goal of this new student union is to “make sure we’re able to offer better services for our students and available for the people that are commuters too” says Jackson.
He also went into detail about what is to be expected out of the new union to meet these goals which include things such as an expanded food court, expanded space for student affairs faculty, more areas for students to study, and a better experience for commuting students. The purpose of having these additional benefits is for students as a whole to have a much easier time accommodating to college life and what it has to offer than before. As of right now, the plans for this new proposed union are only in the design stages.
As such, Dr. Jackson has declined to give a roadmap for the Residential Life and Housing project as he feels it “wouldn’t be fair” to speak on such matters so early in the process. Other projects he revealed in the interview are the plans for a new Honors Housing project. Freshman, Accounting major, Darrien Redditt gives his opinion on the visual of upcoming student union and housing.” Personally, I think a new union will not just help commuters, however, a new honors housing unit will need some improvement because it looks bad.” “A new welcome center would be good too,” Redditt adds. This project is expected to take place soon after the Student Union project is completed. The goal of this project is to provide more housing space for students, specifically for our honors students. Freshman, Mechanical Engineering major. Jamarion Bell also gives his opinion on the new Residential Housing space. “I feel like it’s a great idea and it will help a lot of transfers or freshmen learn about the college. It will also help them further their education due to more residential areas.”
Lastly, Dr. Jackson mentioned the plans for a new Welcome Center beside the Recreation Center. All the projects mentioned in the interview with Dr. Jackson are in their early design stages of development. They are more likely to not be expected within the next year or two. However, this should not dim excitement for the new projects as they could have huge implications on how college life is altered for the foreseeable future. This is especially important for the new freshmen who have joined campus this semester as they may bear witness to one or two of these changes through their four-year journey and will have to adjust to a new style of living.