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Friday, February 28, 2003

Today@Sam: Regents Approve Fees, Projects

A summer study program in Ireland, progress on projects totaling almost $15 million, agreements with two community colleges, and room and board increases were approved Friday by Sam Houston State University's board of regents. The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the recommendations of James F. Gaertner, Sam Houston State University president, during a regular quarterly meeting on the campus of Southwest Texas State University.

Preliminary plans for an addition to the Smith-Hutson Business Building, with an estimated cost of $8.3 million, were approved. College of Business Administration operations are now in three different locations. The college has grown 40 percent in the past five years and expects an additional growth of 4 percent per year for the next 10 years.

Also approved were two projects expected to cost $2 million each--the renovation of Jackson Shaver Hall and construction of a 5,000 square feet dining facility on the south end of the university campus.

Jackson Shaver Hall was built in 1938 and last renovated in 1989. The building will be out of service from the 2003 summer terms through the 2003 fall semester, and back in use for the 2004 spring semester.

The dining facility contract was awarded to Stephen's Construction Services of Texas City. The new facility will offer meal plans as well as franchised fast foods on the south side of the campus, which now has no food service facility.

The board also authorized a process in which bids could be taken and a low bid awarded for a $1.45 million renovation project on the eight cooperative residence halls on what is known as Sorority Hill, without a full vote of the board. The accelerated schedule will enable the work to be done this summer and completed in time for the 2003 fall semester.

Two smaller projects, a $600,000 renovation of the second and third floors of the Estill Classroom Building for use by the purchasing, human resources, registrar's and payroll offices, and $545,000 in repairs to the roofs of five campus buildings, were also approved. The roof work will be done on the Evans Building, Academic Buildings 1 and III, East Central Plant, and Smith-Hutson Business Building.

The Estill project was awarded to J&M Constructing Co. of Huntsville and the roof work to A. D. Willis Company, Inc. of Austin.

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

White Hall To Become Freshman-Only Facility In Fall

From the Houstonian:
Residents in the White Hall dormitory received a form letter from the Department of Residence Life on Feb. 18 stating that upperclassmen would be required to move out of White Hall and into Bearkat Village I and II for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Bearkat Village I and II is Sam Houston State University's newest housing facility located on the corner of Montgomery Road and Bowers Boulevard.

White Hall is currently a coed residence hall reserved for students of sophomore classification or higher. White Hall is located near the south end of campus, next to the Health and Kinesiology Center.

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Old Main: 21 years later

From the Houstonian:
The Pit is all that remains of the Old Main Building, which was destroyed by a fire 21 years ago. The building, built in 1889,was only the second constructed on campus. The fire, which occured on Feb. 12, 1982, was started by an electrical shortage caused by faulty wiring in the building's attic.

Tuesday, February 4, 2003

History Department Honors Olson With Dedication Ceremony, Events

From the Houstonian:
In honor of his 31 years of service to Sam Houston State University, history professor James S. Olson will be recognized with several upcoming events.  The SHSU history department is sponsoring various activities that will take place Thursday and Friday on campus and in the Huntsville community.

Following the speech by Distinguished Lecturer Peter Hammond Liddle, the new auditorium in Academic Building Four will be officially dedicated in Olson's name during a ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday. Following the dedication of the new auditorium, a reception for Olson will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on 19th Street. The history department has extended an open invitation for community members to attend the reception beginning at 7 p.m.