News Story Celeste Flint "This [Student Commons] will be bright and new," Dr. Strickland said. "It will become the hub of activity on campus."

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News Stories | Send mail to The Voice Commons Coming Soon The Student Commons will be dedicated to former Multnomah president Joseph C. Aldrich. --Artistic rendering Acquisition of permits for a new Student Commons is moving as smoothly as possible according to Dr. Wayne Strickland, vice president and academic dean of Multnomah. Lloyd Helm, assistant director of facilities, submitted plans to the city on Sept. 29. The Student Commons will be built in two phases. The first phase, a 15,500-square-foot addition to the current cafeteria, will include a new 400-seat dining hall built on the eastside of the current cafeteria, two stories of offices, a stage and an outdoor deck with lunch tables. The new Student Commons will total 33,000 square feet. Student ministries, student services, and Stugo offices will be moved into the new two-story wing. The dining area will be two stories high but only one floor; office windows will look down on the cafeteria. The second phase will comprise the remodeling of the old cafeteria building into a student lounge, a Wellness Center, a renovated cafe and recreational areas. The kitchen will not move, but the two current offices in the kitchen will be transformed into a new dish room. "This [Student Commons] will be bright and new," Dr. Strickland said. "It will become the hub of activity on campus." The Wellness Center, the site of the nurse's new office, will displace the Solid Rock Cafe. The Solid Rock Cafe will be relocated to the site of the soda fountains in the cafeteria. The rest of the cafeteria will be transformed into a lounge. "The school is growing so much. [The new Student Commons] have been needed for years," Mr. Helm said. "This has been talked about for a number of years." "I don't know how we have gone so long without something like this," Dr. Strickland said. The administration is planning the groundbreaking ceremony for January or February of 2005. If things run smoothly, both phases will be finished in the beginning of fall 2005. Multnomah has collected $2.1 million of the $2.8 million required to complete the project. Any extra money collected will purchase less essential items, such as new couches, Dr. Strickland said. So far only private donors and Aramark, Multnomah's food service, have given to the fund. In January, the administration will begin public fundraising for the remaining $700,000 by asking faculty, staff, students and alumni for donations. The school administration has sought much input into the project. "We actually went and checked out other campuses, like Lewis and Clark," Dr. Strickland said. Last year they invited resident assistants and Stugo members to join them in focus sessions for the planning of this addition. During the building process, the construction materials will fill several parking spots, but Dr. Strickland assures Multnomah that a new building is well worth the hassle. The administration received permission from Central Bible Church to use some of its parking spaces and is considering using shuttle busses to ferry students from a more distant parking area. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News Stories | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2004 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.