Friday, February 25, 2005

Houstonian: Brick dedication ceremony to honor first black student admitted to SHSU

From the Houstonian:
The president and vice president for Student Services and the office of student activities will have a commemorative brick dedication ceremony in the Alumni Garden today at 2 p.m. This event honors John A. Patrick, the first African-American student admitted to SHSU in 1964 and recognizes the importance of SHSU's history.

Although Patrick died, his family and friends from NAACP will give a speech about his accomplishments to the society and education

Tiffany Flenoy, program coordinator, expects this event will be something that has never done before at SHSU. She imagines people did not react positively to Patrick and Sam Houston State was aim for a higher education only for the majority of people at that time.

"He opened the door of the opportunity for the African-American students to attend school," said Flenoy.

Others recognize the importance of his remembrance. "As a black student at SHSU, we sometimes forget about our history," said Prince Myles. "I've never learned about him, but I can only imagine how difficult it was for him at that time. It gives me not only a sense of where I'm going, but also stuff to identify who we are."

Thursday, February 24, 2005

February 2005 Regents Report

Today@Sam identifies the construction and renovation projects  totaling over $42 million that were approved by the Texas State University System Board of Regents, including a bell tower, a new visitor's center, a performing arts center, and a new apartment-style residence hall:
"Basically the projects are just going into design," said John McCrosky, assistant director of facilities planning & construction. "The plan is to tear down small houses McCray and Aydelotte and guest apartments and put up new apartment style dorms. The new complex is going to try and have equal amount of parking spaces, hopefully more than 85% parking for residents. The housing building costs will total $15 million."

The bell tower is projected to be built in front of the administration building and has been budgeted up to $600,000.

"[The board of regents] approved it in the past and they just approved more money to be spent on it," said Frank Krystaniak, director of public relations. "A [contribution] was made by Ron Blatchley of College Station."

The performing arts center is expected to cover up to 75,000 square feet and will contain a concert hall, recital hall, rehearsal halls, practice rooms for individuals and ensembles, classrooms, dance studios, dressing rooms, a scene and lighting shop, computer lab for scene design and dance choreography, a recording studio and office space for faculty and staff.
"The visitor's center will go into construction on March 14th, over Spring Break," said McCrosky. "The total cost will be over $3.2 million."

Additional projects approved by the board of regents will include surveillance cameras for Sam Houston Village and a lowered cost for the Introduction of College Studies course.

What was approved?
  • $20 million for a performing arts center
  • $15 million for a student apartment complex
  • $3.3 million for visitor and alumni center
  • $917,000 for phase one design of a recreational area along the Trinity River
  • $900,000 for renovation of the Teacher Education Center's first floor design
  • $725,000 for renovations and elevators for the Bowers Stadium press box
  • $550,000 to design electrical and air conditioning modifications to Belvin Hall
  • $455,000 to replace the roofs on the Lee Drain Building and a portion of the Evans building

Friday, February 18, 2005

Regents Approve $42 Million in Projects

Steps toward construction and renovation projects totaling more than $42 million were approved for Sam Houston State University Friday by the university's board of regents.
  • The two biggest ticket items on the construction agenda were design contracts for a $20 million performing arts center and a $15 million student apartment complex. Both require additional action by the Texas higher education coordinating board. Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects of Houston was selected to design the performing arts center. With an estimated 75,000 square feet, it will include a concert hall, an adjoining recital hall, rehearsal halls, practice rooms for individuals and ensembles, classrooms, dance studios, dressing rooms, a scene and lighting shop, a computer lab for scene design and dance choreography, a recording studio, and office space for faculty and staff.
  • PDG Architects of Houston was selected to design the 400-bed student apartment complex, which will be built on the southeastern edge of the campus. The Gintz family apartments and Aydelotte and McCray houses, which have a present capacity of 124, are in poor condition because of age and will be removed. The university was authorized to take bids for the removal of those facilities at a cost of up to $240,000.
  • Award of a contract to Dudley Construction, Ltd. of College Station for construction of a $3.3 million visitor and alumni center, with construction to begin this spring and completion in about a year.
  • Employment of Land Design Studio of Austin for a $917,000 phase one design of a recreational area for students, faculty and staff on a 345-acre tract of land along the Trinity River;
  • Award of a contract to Collier Construction, Inc. of Brenham for a $900,000 renovation of the Teacher Education Center's first floor to provide space for the Language, Literacy and Special Populations program;
  • Employment of Lunce Hu Architects, Inc. of Houston to design elevators for the Bowers Stadium press box, to bring it into compliance with accessibility standards, with an estimated cost of $725,000;
  • Award of a contract with Dabhi Engineering Associates of Katy to design electrical and air conditioning modifications to Belvin Hall, with an estimated cost of $550,000;
  • Award of a contact to the W. A. Willis Company, Inc. of Austin to replace the roofs on the Lee Drain Building and a portion of the Evans building, at a cost not to exceed $455,000;
  • Approval of preliminary plans submitted by Dabhi Engineering for an emergency generator to protect university computer equipment in Academic Building 1, with a project cost of $350,000.