Exciting renovations to dining halls, Union

Welcome back to RPI! The start of the fall semester is always such an exciting time to come back to campus and see everything that has changed. Whether you are a freshman or a senior you can appreciate the nostalgia and excitement the start of school brings. I especially cherish the start of the fall because it is soccer season! Also a part of the women’s varsity soccer team, every year I count down the days until I am back with my teammates. We have the unique opportunity to be on campus a week and a half before everyone else moves in for our preseason practices. During this time, we spend every day going back and forth from East Campus Athletic Village to the dining halls. This year we were especially excited to see all of the updates to the dining facilities on campus.

From my first day back on campus, I was shocked at how amazing the Russell Sage Dining Hall and the Commons Dining Hall renovations had turned out. The additional seating in Sage and the reconfigured food stations really improved the functionality of the space. The automated dish return made it so efficient to put away dishes after a meal. Little did I know this was just a taste compared to the Commons renovations.

The renovations to Commons are incredible. Everything has been designed with students in mind. It is so exciting, as an upperclassman, to see spaces completely transformed. The incoming freshmen will never remember the hanging airplane in Commons like the seniors do. As spaces are changing around our campus, it is easy to visualize the potential in other buildings, such as the Union.

The Union is truly the living room of our campus. Over the past year it has received a substantial face lift with the new Panera, the installation of the hearthstone, and the various paint jobs across all levels of the building. However, there is still much more to do. Over the next year, various spaces in the Union will be repurposed or shuffled around and upgraded to accommodate the needs of students. This is an exciting time to be on campus! I look forward to assisting with planning the future of our Union in the year ahead.