Adelphi Looks to the Future with New Campus Master Plan Project
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October 21, 2019 The Voice of the Students Volume 75, Issue 3 Adelphi Looks to the Future With New Campus Master Plan Project Gensler, said, “What we’re doing is talking BY OLIVIA FRANKS to students, faculty and staff and asking ideas as small as bathroom improvements Students, faculty and staff recently to as big as new buildings. We want to had the opportunity to share any ideas to know why people came to Adelphi and improve Adelphi’s campus. In the lobby of what can be improved.” the Nexus Building on September 19 from There were also posters displayed 11 am to 3 pm, the Adelphi community titled, “100 Ideas to Make Campus a Better was able to participate in a 10-year master Place.” There were subtitles on the poster plan initiative that the university hosted that said, “Today” and “2030 – Think Big.” alongside Gensler Architecture. At the Students, faculty and staff shared ideas for table, there were Gensler architects and today including, “more spaces to promote consultants that approached students collaboration” and “variety of meal dining and encouraged them to participate in choices to continue after completion of this study. Their goal was to work with University Center.” Adelphi and the community to create a Under “2030 – Think Big” campus master plan strategy. They were category, people shared ideas such as, Architects and strategists getting insight from students at the Master Plan table in the not only looking to improve the campus “green energy” and even “Division I Nexus Building on September 19. in the immediate future, they also wanted football”. Many people mentioned a new Additionally, there was a campus consultants were gathering information the Adelphi community to give insight business building and many improvements map on display at the Master Plan table at the table, they are expanding the into what could be improved for students, to buildings on campus, especially where people could place “good and bad search virtually as well. Everyone in the faculty and staff in the years to come. Hagedorn Hall of Enterprise. dots.” The architects and consultants from community was sent a survey via email to “A master plan is based upon input This study of the campus is very Gensler handed out green and red stickers fill out to help expand the master plan. The from representatives of all stakeholders timely as the renovation of the University and everyone placed dots onto specific survey asked questions relating to where within the university and provides a virtual Center is underway. This semester, the parts of campus where they thought there you spend the most time on campus, where road map for the future of the university, Adelphi community had to adapt to the could be improvement and where they you go to study, socialize and more. The ensuring that short-term projects are University Center being out of commission thought places could be improved. survey also went over specific spaces on executed in sync with long-term plans and and using the new Panther’s Den dining Gensler architect Jon Toonkel campus and how satisfying the experience goals,” said Jennifer Blazevich, Adelphi facility located between Levermore Hall said, “I think for us it is looking at the was using these facilities. special projects coordinator and assistant and Blodgett Hall. The Panther’s Den was future at Adelphi and a long-term view. Gensler is making sure they to the chief administrative officer. not in full use until Monday, September We are looking to the centennial in 2029 receive input from various groups of Those who wanted to contribute 23 even though it was originally going and getting feedback from the community. campus, not only at the Master Plan table, to the master plan could participate in a to be ready for the first day of classes. We have been working since earlier this but through student and faculty groups. variety of activities. First, there were cards Therefore, the master plan also received a summer on this project and all through “With the goal of receiving input handed out where people could choose lot of suggestions for more food options, this academic year to see what the future from all stakeholder groups within the their favorite place on campus to focus, healthier choices and improvements in the holds.” university and as a critical component of collaborate, socialize or relax. meal plan. Though the architects and Kayla Wong, a strategist at continued on page 2 Hungry for Change: Student-Made Dining Petition Gains Campuswide Attention BY JACLYN TRACY dining hall other than Post Hall. Due to people who shared the same frustrations as this absence, Adelphi has had to figure out myself,” King said. “However, we realized “Dining options have been temporary alternatives to substitute the there was no sort of individual thing for disturbed and fallen below acceptable options that would have been available students to be unified around. Once the standards for our University,” reads the to students if construction was not taking petition was created, it became a lot easier first line of a dining petition organized place. This led to many relocations, for people to get on board and be heard. by Adelphi students who firmly feel they bringing several food trucks on to campus, When creating the petition, I definitely are not getting their money’s worth. This and the debut of a temporary dining hall, needed help from others to make sure that petition, which has received nearly 1,000 the Panther’s Den. our feelings and thoughts were addressed signatures, approximately 13 percent of These drastic changes have left accurately in a way that was not necessarily the student body, which consists of 22.1% many students feeling that they don’t know attacking but addressing our issues.” resident students, is the result of what has where to go for their next meal, as well as King shared that while the been perceived by many as unsatisfactory frustrated with the options being provided number of signatures on the petition was and below par dining conditions to them under a mandatory and costly meal not personally surprising to him, many campuswide. plan, in the case of residents. One student of the comments made in the “additional “Thanks For Your Patience” dining signs in particular who felt it was time to exercise comments” box were shocking. In signing the petition, students read directing frustrated students where to his rights and stand up for what he felt “While I expected people to say request that their needs be addressed by eat. Credit Adelphi University on Facebook “providing refunds on Adelphi University was unjust, was senior communications that it was an unfair deal, people actually meal plans, allowing students to reduce With the beginning of the fall major, David King, who with the help of stated serious concerns about their health, or eliminate their student meal plan, 2019 semester came many differences on some friends, organized the petition in late noted certain conditions that they had, and and supporting students with satisfying, Adelphi’s campus, one of those being the September. stated their concern for their availability “I was hearing from a lot of healthy meals.” absence of the University Center, the main continued on page 2 2 • October 21, 2019 NEWS The Delphian A Word from the Editor We hope everyone has had a good first half of the semester! We can’t believe how fast it is going. We have a lot of great topics covered this issue. In this news section, we go over a lot of what is happening on Adelphi’s campus. There have been numerous changes lately, namely with the renovation of the Univer- Editor-in-Chief Volume 75 sity Center. The temporary dining hall, the Panther’s Den, has recently opened and has Olivia Franks Issue 3 mainly the same options as the UC. With this in mind, there has been a backlash from the Adelphi community regarding their meal plans as the food on campus, according to News Editor Earle Hall Media Center students, is not sufficient. We address this with the article about the student dining peti- Jaclyn Tracy One South Avenue tion that was recently started. Nevertheless, Adelphi is trying to take charge by creating Garden City, NY 11530 a master plan for the future. Students, faculty and staff were able to participate in the Editorials Editor beginning of the formulation of the master plan, which is analyzed further in the article. Victoria Grinthal HOW TO REACH US Additionally, our annual Spirit Weekend happened earlier this month, and we take a look Main Office: 516-877-6935 back at the Fall Arts Festival. Features & Entertainment Editor E-mail: [email protected] Staying with Spirit Weekend, the Student Activities Board put on their first ever Maria Giovanna Jumper Panther Variety Show for students. Check out the review to see how it went over. If you LETTERS TO THE EDITOR caught the Department of Alumni Relations at the Spirit Weekend Carnival, we have Sports Editor Letters to the editor must be less than more information about what they do. They have a lot of great events and activities to Olivia Franks 400 words and include the author’s help students network, so check out everything they have to offer. Fraternity Pi Lambda name, as well as affiliation to the Phi is also impacting the campus in a positive way as they try to spread the word about Production Artists college. Letters may be edited for the what is important to them during their philanthropy week. Furthermore, we have a great Justin Castrogiovanni series of Halloween articles for you to read as the holiday quickly approaches.