Update on the campus master plan

[Adios]

any drawings for it been released?

You should have known better to check the hockey section! Was nice to hear Brass Bonanza get airtime during the championship game.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I'm excited to hear about these changes. I know campus has already changed a ton since I graduated in 2010. I was back later in 2010, but haven't been back since. It's so hard to believe it's changed so much but I'll understand when I get back!

 

[Waquoit]

AS 55?

Isn't that the place where they used to run fundraising pornos?

 

[minidarren]

I'm curious how they'll connect 44 to Hillside, since there is, you know, houses in the way, including mine.

I think the answer is simple. Bull doze the houses.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I'm excited to hear about these changes. I know campus has already changed a ton since I graduated in 2010. I was back later in 2010, but haven't been back since. It's so hard to believe it's changed so much but I'll understand when I get back!

Since 2010? You guys were spoiled.

If I hadn’t been to campus several times in the last few years, I would get lost trying to figure things out since I graduated in the mid 90’s. The was a building boom in Storrs in the 70’s because of the surge in enrollment due to the baby boomers; but, little was added from the 80’s through the mid 90’s. I think only Gampel, Sherman Field, the Dodd archive center, and Babbridge Library (and then rebuilt several times) was built during that 15 year period. Alumni and McMahon were considered the nicest dorm complexes (Hilltop was nice, too, lots of singles; but, it was a hike, especially in the winter). Old South was knocked down and was still an empty field when I left. My favorite was the student weight room when I was in Storrs. It was a smelly cage under an old section of bleachers in Greer Fieldhouse.

 

[Excalibur]

Since 2010? You guys were spoiled.

If I hadn’t been to campus several times in the last few years, I would get lost trying to figure things out since I graduated in the mid 90’s. The was a building boom in Storrs in the 70’s because of the surge in enrollment due to the baby boomers; but, little was added from the 80’s through the mid 90’s. I think only Gampel, Sherman Field, the Dodd archive center, and Babbridge Library (and then rebuilt several times) was built during that 15 year period. Alumni and McMahon were considered the nicest dorm complexes (Hilltop was nice, too, lots of singles; but, it was a hike, especially in the winter). Old South was knocked down and was still an empty field when I left. My favorite was the student weight room when I was in Storrs. It was a smelly cage under an old section of bleachers in Greer Fieldhouse.

The campus probably bottomed out in 1994. The construction boom started the following year with the new chemistry building, updates to Towers and the new student gym in the Field House. Students graduating in the late 80's through about 1995 really got the worst of it in terms of decaying infrastructure and outdated facilities.

 

[Husky25]

Isn't that the place where they used to run fundraising smutos?

The what?

It was the stadium style class room annex behind Montieth. I had maybe 6 or 8 class there over my 4 years on campus.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Since 2010? You guys were spoiled.

If I hadn’t been to campus several times in the last few years, I would get lost trying to figure things out since I graduated in the mid 90’s. The was a building boom in Storrs in the 70’s because of the surge in enrollment due to the baby boomers; but, little was added from the 80’s through the mid 90’s. I think only Gampel, Sherman Field, the Dodd archive center, and Babbridge Library (and then rebuilt several times) was built during that 15 year period. Alumni and McMahon were considered the nicest dorm complexes (Hilltop was nice, too, lots of singles; but, it was a hike, especially in the winter). Old South was knocked down and was still an empty field when I left. My favorite was the student weight room when I was in Storrs. It was a smelly cage under an old section of bleachers in Greer Fieldhouse.

Yeah, I agree. All college kids are now spoiled. One of the reasons it cost much more than it should is that these facilities are much too lavish. In the mid 80s it never seemed unpleasant, and none of us were uncomfortable. College shouldn't be luxurious.

Also, I find it strange that Hilltop gets tons of foot traffic now, it was the edge of campus and nobody went up there except residents back in my day. South, West and Alumni were the most popular dorm complexes (location and in the case of south, abundance of females). But because the small dorms had a much different dining model, it really depended on whether you were more a small dorm or big dorm person. I thought he family dining system in the small dorms was tremendous for meeting people and making friends.

 

[zls44]

The what? It was the stadium style class room annex behind Montieth. I had maybe 6 or 8 class there over my 4 years on campus.

That is such an odd building.

 

[UConn Dan]

Wood hall. Beach hall. Now those were gems. Have they been refurbed yet? Exteriors were nice and very New England, but interiors? Woof! I was there from 96 - 2000.

 

[Husky25]

Wood hall. Beach hall. Now those were gems. Have they been refurbed yet? Exteriors were nice and very New England, but interiors? Woof! I was there from 96 - 2000.

Don't forget Hall Dorm. That was a peach.

Hey who still remembers their UConn e-mail address for the mainframe? (Initials)95001@uconn.universityofconnecticut.storrs.edu (or something to that effect).

I also remember when Fraternity Row still existed, Northwest was called Frats, and North was The Jungle, SBA was across the street from the library and the Library was covered in a Hefty Bag. Also our student ID had our SS# right on it, which was used for EVERYTHING. Not the last four digits, but all nine numbers.

Incidentally, how was the administration able to revert students back to calling them by their directional names? Did RADerek threat to write you guys up?

 

[SubbaBub]

I'm curious how they'll connect 44 to Hillside, since there is, you know, houses in the way, including mine.

There are no houses in the way. Its going right between the banks across from the supermarket.

 

[junglehusky]

Yeah, I agree. All college kids are now spoiled. One of the reasons it cost much more than it should is that these facilities are much too lavish. In the mid 80s it never seemed unpleasant, and none of us were uncomfortable. College shouldn't be luxurious.

I agree, but you don't want to be the last college that has merely an adequate gym / rec center. Unfortunately, it's an arms race, and colleges don't want to take the chance on losing out on admissions due to amenities.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I agree, but you don't want to be the last college that has merely an adequate gym / rec center. Unfortunately, it's an arms race, and colleges don't want to take the chance on losing out on admissions due to amenities.

Yep, that is what happened for sure. Federal money drove a lot of it, and allowed tuitions to escalate to fund country-club campuses. I certainly recall that the general perception when I went to college was that you expected your living conditions to be worse than it was at home. It set your expectations for the crappy apartment you would likely have after college.

It's funny how kids don't get that wakeup call anymore. Hell, just watch "House Hunters" and you see people with some small monthly budget that are unable to contemplate a kitchen without grantite countertops.

 

[huskypantz]

I would bet 98% of college kids have smartphones. I have a pretty decent family income and only gave in on the smartphones last june.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Don't forget Hall Dorm. That was a peach.

Hey who still remembers their UConn e-mail address for the mainframe? (Initials)95001@uconn.universityofconnecticut.storrs.edu (or something to that effect).

I also remember when Fraternity Row still existed, Northwest was called Frats, and North was The Jungle, SBA was across the street from the library and the Library was covered in a Hefty Bag. Also our student ID had our SS# right on it, which was used for EVERYTHING. Not the last four digits, but all nine numbers.

Incidentally, how was the administration able to revert students back to calling them by their directional names? Did RADerek threat to write you guys up?

I remember both the old UConn e-mail address, I think it had 'UConnVM' or something like that in the address and one could only access it from a few terminals around campus. I did get AOL my Senior year and everyone wanted to use my PC. I remember looking up my grades for various 101 classes listed on a huge piece of paper with everyone's SS # on it. Crazy.

Anyone remember the ROTC hangar? Spring weekend events. Add/Drop day with the old paper cards. The mass Meningitis vaccination my Sophomore year. Air Rifle Marksmanship my Senior year.

 

[Husky25]

Math 105 was in the hanger. Algebra for business and finance.

 

[dbmill]

I remember both the old UConn e-mail address, I think it had 'UConnVM' or something like that in the address and one could only access it from a few terminals around campus. I did get AOL my Senior year and everyone wanted to use my PC. I remember looking up my grades for various 101 classes listed on a huge piece of paper with everyone's SS # on it. Crazy.

Anyone remember the ROTC hangar? Spring weekend events. Add/Drop day with the old paper cards. The mass Meningitis vaccination my Sophomore year. Air Rifle Marksmanship my Senior year.

In addition to Add/Drop with the old paper cards, they had all sorts of other events at the ROTC hanger. They would hold the Activities Fair every semester there, and I saw Eight To The Bar for the first time at ROTC.

When I first started going to UConn in 1978, the C0-op was in a little space attached to the Student Union building underneath the Commons attachment. The Co-op building next to the mud field opened around 1980 or 1981.

 

[Waquoit]

The what?

It was the stadium style class room annex behind Montieth. I had maybe 6 or 8 class there over my 4 years on campus.

Yeah, I saw Eraserhead there. And I just noticed p o r n o s gets auto-corrected to smutos. Say what?

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

There are no houses in the way. Its going right between the banks across from the supermarket.

That's good to hear. BTW, the supermarket is now a dollar store.

 

[Pudge]

Yeah, I agree. All college kids are now spoiled. One of the reasons it cost much more than it should is that these facilities are much too lavish. In the mid 80s it never seemed unpleasant, and none of us were uncomfortable. College shouldn't be luxurious.

Also, I find it strange that Hilltop gets tons of foot traffic now, it was the edge of campus and nobody went up there except residents back in my day. South, West and Alumni were the most popular dorm complexes (location and in the case of south, abundance of females). But because the small dorms had a much different dining model, it really depended on whether you were more a small dorm or big dorm person. I thought he family dining system in the small dorms was tremendous for meeting people and making friends.

This is funny.

It's us. College is luxurious because ... parents have changed and now go way beyond giving Johnny & Jenny everything ... EVERYTHING ... they desire. We can see, in new student residence, a level of opulence (Every kid gets their own bathroom?) with big screen TVs, Stacked Washer/Dryers, Granite all over and plush patios with high end Grills. Parents stop having 3-6 kids and putting 2 in every bedroom; hence, we had to give EACH kid everything. Everyone gets a Trophy. They all have a nice car. etc.

I listen to the complaints of College going up. Damn right ... I lived in some staid Spartan conditions. I don't see my daughter having the same next year.

 

[SubbaBub]

This is funny.

It's us. College is luxurious because ... parents have changed and now go way beyond giving Johnny & Jenny everything ... EVERYTHING ... they desire. We can see, in new student residence, a level of opulence (Every kid gets their own bathroom?) with big screen TVs, Stacked Washer/Dryers, Granite all over and plush patios with high end Grills. Parents stop having 3-6 kids and putting 2 in every bedroom; hence, we had to give EACH kid everything. Everyone gets a Trophy. They all have a nice car. etc.

I listen to the complaints of College going up. Damn right ... I lived in some staid Spartan conditions. I don't see my daughter having the same next year.

I don't think the post WWII dorms with surplus furniture is a result of helicopter parenting. Yes, people demand more for their money and it is a competative market for students. The old buildings simply outlived their useful life. With the technology requirements of today, new dorms were necessary to carry the wiring. HVAC systems are more energy efficient. TV's are cheap.

If it helps, they are being built with the cheapest Home Depot materials available, so in about 15 years that crummy dorm vibe will return.

 

[UCFBfan]

The what?

It was the stadium style class room annex behind Montieth. I had maybe 6 or 8 class there over my 4 years on campus.

Holy crap! That room/building will forever be etched in my memory. On a few occasions, we literally would have a waterfall running down the staircases when it rained. They even put sandbags up at the top once. It felt like we were in a Natural Disaster zone! I hope AS 55 is no longer in use/existence! I graduated in '03 so this wasn't even that long ago....wait that was 11 years ago?!? How come I don't feel like it was that long ago! lol!

 

[CTMike]

Yeah, I saw Eraserhead there. And I just noticed p o r n o s gets auto-corrected to smutos. Say what?

Close - p0rn for smut... Same idea though.

 

[Husky25]

Wait another 4-5 years. I graduated in '99. Marriage and a child later, college seems like eons ago.

Holy crap! That room/building will forever be etched in my memory. On a few occasions, we literally would have a waterfall running down the staircases when it rained. They even put sandbags up at the top once. It felt like we were in a Natural Disaster zone! I hope AS 55 is no longer in use/existence! I graduated in '03 so this wasn't even that long ago....wait that was 11 years ago?!? How come I don't feel like it was that long ago! lol!

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is funny.

It's us. College is luxurious because ... parents have changed and now go way beyond giving Johnny & Jenny everything ... EVERYTHING ... they desire. We can see, in new student residence, a level of opulence (Every kid gets their own bathroom?) with big screen TVs, Stacked Washer/Dryers, Granite all over and plush patios with high end Grills. Parents stop having 3-6 kids and putting 2 in every bedroom; hence, we had to give EACH kid everything. Everyone gets a Trophy. They all have a nice car. etc.

I listen to the complaints of College going up. Damn right ... I lived in some staid Spartan conditions. I don't see my daughter having the same next year.

That is part of it. But it is driven by competition for students among the schools as well, and by federal and state policies that pumped money into student hands, which allowed schools to continue to raise tuition at a rate much faster than the normal inflation rate.

Even back in the 80's there was a disaparity. Some small private schools were already putting in lavish dorms and dining halls. I recall several wealthy but not that smart kids from Simsbury (younger sister went to SHS, I was in Manchester a few years earlier) went to Bucknell, and the dorms sold the place in a big way. UConn was a better school even then, but we had a cinder block rectangle and generally a matress on a loft we built ourselves. UConn even gave you paint if you wanted to paint your own room.

 

[Husky25]

That was an HDFR class. Yup, it was there. Solid elective for a business student. Rumor was Spring of '99 was the P o r n proffessor's last class. Got it in under the wire...so to speak...

Close - p0rn for smut... Same idea though.

 

[Excalibur]

That was an HDFR class. Yup, it was there. Solid elective for a business student. Rumor was Spring of '99 was the P o r n proffessor's last class. Got it in under the wire...so to speak...

I took that class the same semester . . . Spring '99. Karen McDaniel was the professor, if I recall correctly. And yes, it was the last time the course was offered.

I had finished almost all of my requirements by that time. I had only two "real" classes my final semester -- German politics with the husband of a good friend of my mother, and criminology with an insanely easy TA. My final credits consisted of that HDFR class, then one credit each for Pep Band, Golf, and Tennis.

 

[upstater]

Federal and state policies that pumped money into student hands, which allowed schools to continue to raise tuition at a rate much faster than the normal inflation rate.

In 1986, my max federal loan was capped at $2,900 a year. The cap now in 2014 is $5,700. That's a 100% rise in 28 years. That's not bad.

When people look at tuition rising much faster than inflation, they fail to take into account the fact that the cost of attendance is subsidized in the first place. This has little to do with actual expenditures. Are expenditures rising much faster than inflation? No. So why is tuition rising? Look at the subsidy. It's not what it used to be.

Take California. In 20 years, tuitions there have risen 1000%. Expenditures? Tracking inflation. State subsidies? Cut by 50%.

 

[Waquoit]

I remember I was considered lucky because my 12" B&W TV could pick up channel 8 when patched into the dorm antenna. And at night, I kinda-sorta could get 5 out of Boston.