(Photo credit via ESU flickr page) Brian Akonu, Kenneth Long and university mascot breaking ground on construction site of new University Center.

Riley Sardinha
Editor-in Chief

East Stroudsburg University officially broke ground on the construction site for the new university center building.

The groundbreaking ceremony was fronted by president of ESU, Kenneth Long, and president of the Student Government Association, Brian Akonu, along with our university mascot as part of a photo op.

The university could not have broken new ground without the importance of knowing students and faculty must work alongside one another to reach success.

The construction site can be found in the Shawnee quad, where it takes up nearly a third of the field. The Keystone Room and the Center for Hospitality Management were torn down in the process.

This construction has been a regular part of the campus for a few months now, since the start of the fall semester.

The breaking of ground likely signals the next step in laying down a proper foundation, both literally and figuratively for the university.

The organizations currently in the university center, nicknamed the ‘union’, will keep their respective spaces, but with some room to spare.

The Student Activity Association, Student Government chamber, and Gender and Sexuality Center will all receive bigger rooms and parts of the building to accommodate incoming members.

Not only will the new building benefit organizations currently there, but those residing in other places on campus, too.

The campus radio station plans to be moved over from the McGarry Communications Center to the new building, allowing for more storage space, updated equipment, and a professional recording studio to be utilized by both radio DJs and students in the media production club.

For other needs, the new building will also have a banquet hall, a series of fast food establishments, and a theater.

The university center has always been a vital meeting spot for students at ESU both academically and socially, so adding onto it would help out the growing student population.

The new union is set to be completed in the next two or three years. This will help out students at East Stroudsburg University, old and new, by becoming the next fixture of an ever-improving campus.

Email Riley at:
rsardinha@live.esu.edu