Colonnade

Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Tim Graham The new multipurpose building will include a new cafe, Sandella, at The Village.

Media Credit: Tim Graham

After a small hiatus caused by delays, the multipurpose West Campus Center at The Village, will open Friday, officials said.

While most the of the current appliances and furniture were in place, a large oven was the final missing piece of the 30,000 square foot building, causing the opening to be delayed.

The building holds many amenities that students may find useful. The Village Market is the general goods store, providing students with products including cereal, paper and coffee. With the Village Market open every day during the week at 7:30 a.m. Monday-Friday, students can pop in for a last minute snack or pick up that testing sheet they forgot before hurrying off to class.

Sandella's is the new restaurant that rests in the same area as The Village Market. According to its Web site, Sandella's is "an upscale, fast casual café serving premium quality, health-conscious and great tasting menu items served on Sandella's proprietary brick oven flatbread."

This is one of the first Sandella's in Georgia, giving the GCSU community a taste that no other campuses in the state can say they have.

The building has been under construction for almost a year and is located next to the The Village Clubhouse.

Larry C. Christenson, executive director of University Housing, believes the building will be used often by many residents.

"We are excited that the West Campus Center is open," he said. "It is a great place to eat, socialize and study."

Cindy McClanahan, marketing director for University Housing, is also excited.

"We can't wait to see how the students utilize this space for programs and events," said McClanahan.

The West Campus Center also houses a large lounge area, complete with a working gas fireplace in the center of the room. A large classroom, which can be divided into two, will also be used immediately by classes that are currently being held in community rooms at The Village.

The building should be a relief from the smaller study areas and should add much needed space for the growing population at West Campus.

The Village residents have 24-hour access to the building, so that they can come in and relax any time. A pavilion area overlooks the soccer field in between the apartments, where they can view any sports being played.

There are other reasons that students are ready for the building to open.

Junior Lindsey Brown lives in Building 600 at The Village, which is less than 50 yards away from the new building.

"I was just ready for the construction to stop," said Brown. "Waking up every morning at 6 a.m. to the sound of banging sucked. It lasted for a year. I was ready for it to be done."

The official opening will be on Monday, Sept. 29. A large flat-screen TV will also soon be added along with the ability to reserve the classrooms through The Village office. A grand opening celebrating the building will be announced shortly.

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