A study into how the Schine Student Center could undergo major renovations in coming years is part of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Campus Framework plan, two university officials confirmed.

Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience, and Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer, said in an email that a feasibility study into how Schine could be upgraded does factor into the 20-year development plan.

At a public roundtable on the study held  the beginning of the month, another official, Colleen Bench, at first said the study was not part of the Campus Framework, before adding that “it could be,” but wasn’t an original part of the framework.

Two architecture firms are conducting the feasibility study. One is based in Syracuse. The other is centered in St. Louis, but operates across the country.

Officials expect the group of architects to submit a report on the possible renovations to Schine by December, said Bench, assistant vice president for student affairs.

“We’re just envisioning what could be,” Bench said. “There have been no decisions made on what will happen.”

This feasibility study is a critical step in any major campus project, Evanovich and Sala said.

In the email, which did not specify who answered what question, the two officials said the cost of the study at this point is “nominal.”

Schine was pinpointed as a target area for growth and redesign, according to data from the 2014 MyCampus survey results, which polled more than 3,000 members of the SU faculty, staff and student population.

That survey was conducted by Sasaki Associates, a consulting firm hired to advise SU on the Campus Framework.

Daniel Yarnall, a junior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, who has a work-study job at Schine, said he never heard about the first roundtable discussion, but would have liked to contribute.

“I knew there was some talk of potential redesign, but I didn’t know to what extent,” he said. “I would have liked to have my input heard.”

There will be more roundtable discussions when architects return in the next three or four weeks, Evanovich said at last Monday’s Student Association meeting.

Additions and renovations to Schine aim to improve diversity and inclusion by creating a space on the southern facade of the building to relocate student organizations, according to Campus Framework documents.

“Over the years, there have been discussions about reimagining and renovating Schine Student Center,” Evanovich and Sala said in the email. “That’s why we are seeking even more feedback now, especially from current students, to offer ideas and explore possibilities for the space.”

The first Schine roundtable was held on Oct. 4. Only three students and one Schine employee attended that event. Bench, at the time, said Schine’s broken air conditioning system might have caused the low turnout.

Published on October 16, 2017 at 12:05 am

Contact Catherine: [email protected] | @ccleffert