For the past few years, students have been forced to take lengthy detours to class due to campus construction. Despite adding a few more minutes to students’ commutes, the construction brings a new light to campus life.
Campus’s newest addition, Centennial Village, the newly constructed freshmen residential college, provides a vibrant environment for students to relax and socialize. It has a two-story dining hall, scenic walkways, and a modern aesthetic. Its set-up includes a peaceful side as it houses several meditation/reflection rooms.
Centennial Village is the next phase in this vast renovation, as UM aims to build a more modern campus. Centennial Village will become the largest project UM has constructed.
While it is not a direct investment in education, the construction of Centennial helps the student body by increasing the visual appeal of the campus, attracting “top academic and athletic talent.” This in turn can generate more revenue for the University for future campus and educational investments.
Centennial Village complements Lakeside Village, mirroring its collaborative and social elements. Like Lakeside, Centennial provides students with more than just housing, it also has recreational facilities and study lounges to allow students to interact.
Another new addition to campus is the renovated Starbucks. An additional register has been added to mitigate the long lines, providing the coffee hotspot with shorter wait times.
“The updated Starbucks will alleviate the previous congestion and offer a more comfortable setting for students to enjoy their favorite drinks and study,” said Braden Logatto, the director of university affairs.
UM’s campus improvements are net positive, but they come at a price. The increasing cost of campus housing and demolition of Stanford Residential College have made it difficult for students to seek on-campus housing.
Previous Miami Hurricane articles have detailed unpleasant student experiences due to a lack of housing availability, leading to ongoing housing crises. Couple that with South Florida’s rising rents and it is increasingly difficult for students to find affordable housing to go to UM.
Although UM still has some work to do, the renovations being made to improve campus are evident. With a simple five-minute stroll on-campus, prospective and current students can’t miss the University’s new modern improvements throughout the years. While issues still exist, the U is continuing to improve year after year.