You may have noticed that the Lory Student Center has undergone some major changes within the past several years, but additional changes this year aim to increase and expand resources for students and provide a better overall aesthetic.

Beginning in May, the LSC at Colorado State University will undergo a renovation and expansion of the Adult Learner and Veteran Services program.

In an email to The Collegian, Mike Ellis, executive director of the LSC, wrote that the renovation will include mechanical, electrical, plumbing and aesthetic upgrades to the north end of the LSC along with the expansion to the ALVS center.

The update is the third and final phase of the LSC’s 20-year, $24.2 million master plan, completed in 2004, Ellis wrote. 

“Where it makes sense, our intent is to extend the look and feel of the floor to ceiling upgrades completed as part of phase II in 2014,” Ellis wrote. “For example, much of the existing floor plan on the north end will remain very similar to what we experience today, and we do not intend to renovate the north end ballrooms.”

Ellis wrote that students can expect a renovation of the north side that is much like the south side renovation in 2014. He also wrote that the intent of the renovation is to provide a seamless connection throughout the LSC. 

“Beginning with the exterior north side Transit Center entry to the LSC and including the CSU Bookstore refresh and expansion of the Adult Learner and Veteran Services program, the campus community will experience an aesthetic quality very similar to the south side, including the major entrances,” Ellis wrote. 

The Transit Center renovation will include a third story addition and will take place over the summer when fewer students are on campus, Ellis wrote. This involves a closure of the Transit Center in mid-May, and users will have to detour to the west side of the LSC or through the engineering building for the summer. 

The new space expansion will allow us to build the amount of students that we have actually actively engaged in our center.” -Marc Barker, director, ALVS

“The Transit Center entrance will reopen prior to classes beginning in the fall,” Ellis wrote. “From here, the project will occur in phases, with offices such as ALVS and Student Legal Services needing to temporarily relocate to other areas of the LSC. While some services on the north end close during the summer and building access will be limited, the intent is for all services to remain open during the fall and spring semesters.”

The expansion of the ALVS center will improve the community and provide more opportunities for non-traditional students, said Marc Barker, director of the ALVS.

“Typically, our center is full all day long,” Barker said. “The biggest service we provide is community, and we’ve run out of space to provide that community. The new space expansion will allow us to build the amount of students that we have actually actively engaged in our center.”

Barker said it’s important for students to have this space because a lot of students who utilize the ALVS are commuter students. 

“They come to school to go to class, but they don’t really have any other engagements with the campus outside of class,” Barker said. “So, it’s really important for them to have a spot that allows them to engage with the broader campus community.”

According to the ALVS website, the center provides and helps students find resources such as child care, disability services, homeless resources and many more. The expansion should be able to reach more students who need these resources. 

Barker said the expansion will allow the ALVS to launch a program for student parents as well. The bigger space will allow outside resources, such as the Office of Financial Aid and the Career Center, to occupy space in the ALVS as well. 

Barker said the expansion might impact current students who utilize the space but hopefully not in a way that will damage the community. 

“We’re actually not going to use a whole lot of space during the temporary move,” Barker said. “It will be louder, probably. We may not have all of the services that we currently have. We may not have water or refrigerators, but hopefully it won’t impact the community at all. It will just be community displaced in a new space for a while.”

Editor’s Note: Mike Ellis is a member of the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain Student Media. 

Ceci Taylor can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @cecelia_twt.