Update for Autumn 2009

This autumn saw several unexpected things happen during the course of the development of the New University Center at UW-Eau Claire. Planning continued during the summer and the first several weeks of the 2009-2010 academic year. During the spring the Steering Committee chair, Dr. Beth Hellwig and various members of the Committee had reached out to members of the Native community regarding the Council Oak Tree which is located within the proposed building site. Reaction to this was varied and the Steering Committee received mixed advice regarding next steps. As school commenced a number of students and staff came forward to voice concerns as the planning stage of the building project neared its completion.

On Tuesday, 22nd September 2009 Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich announced his plans to request new options for the Davies Center’s redesign during a University Senate meeting http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/sept/0916CouncilOakMM.htm. This announcement occurred the same night that the Eau Claire City Council had approved the original site plans. The reason for the site change is to protect the Council Oak Tree. The tree marks a location of truce between the Ojibwa and Dakota tribes and is remembered on the seal of UW – Eau Claire.

Council Oak Tree 2009
Two months later on 22nd October an open meeting was held to understand opinions in regards to future developments on campus. At this meeting members of the University and greater Eau Claire community shared what they felt were the most important aspects of campus that needed to be preserved. The Council Oak Tree and Little Niagara River were both areas that attendees wanted to maintain. Chancellor Levin-Stankevich said he expected a presentation to the Board of Regents in December and the New University Center’s eventual construction next summer to proceed on schedule.

From October through early December the New University Center building project was put on pause while options and plans to move forward were discussed. In early December a series of proposals were discussed which would preserve the Council Oak Tree and at the same time limit the amount of “redesign” that would be needed for the new building http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/dec/1218StudentCenterDesign.htm. It is hoped that before the end of January a new plan will be approved and shared with the University community.

At the beginning of winter break the trees situated on the New University Center building site were removed http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/dec/1218TreeRemovalMM.htm.

This was done at this time for two reasons. First, with most of the University community on break this was deemed the safest time to remove the trees. Also, we wish to have as little impact on wildlife as possible, particularly nesting birds, so this seemed like the most ecologically friendly option.

Felled trees are removed, December ‘09

Felled trees are removed, December ‘09

The New University Center building site without trees, December ‘09

As the planning for this project continues please look here for further and more frequent up-dates at http://www.uwec.edu/centers/building/index.htm.

**All photos courtesy of Bill Hoepner

Change is Coming

A lot has been happening with the Davies Building Project since the last post – I’ll catch you up.

The Davies Building Committee (which is comprised of students, faculty, and staff) has visited five different campuses to get an idea of what their student centers have to offer. I’ve included some pictures below, but here are some main thoughts they left the tours with:
-Utilize as much natural light as possible – big windows, skylights, etc.
-Focus on being Green – sustainability is a key area of attention
-All decisions should be student centered
-Improve facilities for student senate/student organizations

Also, a couple weeks ago the Burt-Hill team came to campus for a series of workshops. There were opportunities for students to see a presentation about the building and give feedback and ask questions. Other workshops were geared toward specific user groups in the building.

Stay tuned for future blog posts which should be coming on a weekly to bi-weekly basis!

What's New with Davies?

We recently had the experts from Burt Hill on campus for two weeks! They held focus groups to get student, faculty and staff input on what the new Davies Center should be.

In these photos, students are participating in the interactive focus groups. They were asked to place green dots below pictures from other projects that they liked for the new Davies Center. The red dots were for ideas they did not like.

Your input is still needed for this project! The university has enlisted the help of Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc. to get feedback on the dining options for the Davies Redevelopment Project. To take the survey, go to http://www.porterkhouwconsulting.com/uwec/login.html.

Centers Building Project Feedback

We want your input! Here's your chance to post questions and provide us feedback about the Centers building project. Please check out our Centers Building Project web site for more information: http://www.uwec.edu/centers/building/index.htm