UB is striving to make more handicap-accessible features available on campus, as well as eliminate barriers and improve options for disabled students, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"These projects have been going on for years and they continue in phases," said Robert Shibley, director of urban design.
Some repairs were done over summer break, such as widened doors placed in Capen Library, the renovation of the School of Pharmacy on South Campus, ADA improvements in Alumni Arena, pavement crack repairs on roads on North Campus and ADA site work on the pavement and tunnels of South Campus.
Utility tunnels on South Campus were excavated over summer and replaced with new piping that goes around the entire campus, in addition to new lighting and security systems. The project, which costs around $11 million began in March of last year. It is set to be completed by December.
The Capen Undergraduate Library has been the highlight of repairs that occurred over the summer.
"(The libraries) were in deadly need of renovation," said Judy Adams, librarian and director of communication and development.
Adams said that some students nicknamed the library "Club Capen" because of its more welcoming appearance, new lighting and highly requested self-checkout machines. Many students now feel that it is more enjoyable.
The library's doors have been made wider in order to ease traffic at entrances, and the service desk has been lowered in order for students to access the staff more easily. Also, security gates have been made wider and count individuals when they enter the library.
This is not the end of the renovations in Capen. The study areas will be redesigned and equipped with laptop bars, plasma screens that have notices about the wait-time for printing, and more inviting study spaces.
The library's lobby is finished and more study spaces are being created with the transferal of 1.5 million low-usage books and journals to an annex on Sweet Home Road.
Many students said that they also enjoy the changes that have been made to Founder's Plaza.
"It looks a lot better than cracked pavement," said Steven Polchlopek, a junior finance and marketing major. "It'd be good if they got some vendors over there, like people selling hot dogs."
While some are getting used to the new design, many aspects of Founder's Plaza will be missed.
"It's nice how it looks a lot more open," said John Trimper, a junior psychology major. "It needs more trees through, and I liked the benches under the trees."
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
