FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTUER: UNIVERSITY PLANS NEW BUILDINGS, RENOVATIONS TO BOOST ENROLLMENT

Southeast Missouri State University hopes to transform Parker Hall into a student center that would serve as the campus' living room.

The Board of Regents has yet to approve the project, but school officials and student leaders are pushing the merits of such a project.

They want to expand and renovate the 37-year-old academic building, and surround it with additions on three sides.

The new look would feature plenty of exterior glass designed to make the three-story building inviting to students and the public, project supporters say.

They envision the new center could be built and in operation within three years.

The Henderson Street tennis courts would be removed and replaced with a parking lot that could accommodate about 100 cars.

Built into the side of a hill, the Henderson Street level would be the third floor. It would have an expanded bookstore and house the textbook service.

The second floor would house some administrative offices, including the dean of students, as well as a multipurpose area for holding student-orientation meetings.

The first floor would have a computer lab, a food court, indoor and outdoor dining space and office space for Student Government and student organizations.

Jason Lane, Student Government president, said the first floor could be open 24 hours a day.

The first floor entrance would open onto a large lawn. A softball field currently occupies that space. It would be relocated to the recreational complex being developed at Sprigg and Bertling.

Parker Hall's swimming pool would be removed and replaced with space for gymnastics. The aging, indoor pool poses continuing maintenance problems, school officials said.

The new center could also house lockers for commuter students, banking services and possibly a post office.

School officials have yet to put a price tag to the project. But plans call for raising student fees to pay for what could be a multi-million-dollar project.

The goal is to create a student center that would be centrally located on campus and used by more students.

Student leaders say the current University Center isn't utilized by many students because it is on the south end of the campus.

Most of the on-campus housing and many of the classes are on the north end. The university's future building plans are focused on the north end of the campus, where there is room for expansion.

A study by consultants found that 61 percent of weekly student traffic occurs on the north part of the campus compared to 39 percent on the south side.

Converting Parker into a student union or "University Commons" as promoters call it would be far more convenient for students, including commuter and night-school students.

Most night classes are held in the Dempster and Scully buildings on the campus' north end.

If Parker is converted into a University Commons, the University Center would become home to the health and leisure department and continuing education classes.

The University Center, built in 1975, would be renovated, school officials said.

Loren Rullman, University Center director, is a strong supporter of the University Commons project.

Rullman said the current campus has no central meeting place for students. "There is no hub, no place to pull people together."

Rullman said a new student center could help boost enrollment. "College unions today are recruitment and retention vehicles," he said.

Student centers are no longer just lounges with banks of vending machines. On many college campuses, student unions are lavish structures that house everything from food courts to computer centers.

They draw the attention of prospective students and their parents, Rullman said.

Competing schools have made major investments in their student unions in recent years.

The University of Missouri-Columbia has completed a $5 million renovation; Central Missouri State University, a $9 million renovation.

Southwest Missouri State University has embarked on a $14 million renovation of its student union. The University of Missouri-St. Louis plans to construct a $30 million university center.

Tanya Efken co-chairs Students for Increased Campus Community, a group lobbying for the University Commons project.

Efken said a new student center would provide "a more welcome atmosphere" for students.

She said the project is vital if the school wants to attract more students.