Aaron Schaffer, Photo Editor
Alongside the newly-arrived class of 2017, various campus construction projects are making their debut. The Ronald Rettner Hall for Media Arts and Innovation is being completed as well as a substation distribution project and several minor infrastructure improvements.
Rettner Hall will house new programs in digital media studies and audio and music engineering, a move UR hopes will be the intersection of the arts, sciences, and engineering on campus. With it comes the induction of the digital media studies major, a field devoted to providing a fundamental understanding of digital technology.
The building is named after UR trustee and philanthropist Ronald Rettner, who hopes his gift will advance UR to the forefront of the digital media world.
The three-story, 18,900-square-foot facility will feature a fabrication lab, sound and video recording studios, advanced computers, and 3-D printers.
Beyond Rettner, small infrastructure improvements were put in place.
The new electrical substation distribution project spans parking lots 1 and 11 along Kendrick Road.
Wallis Hall is getting a new women’s bathroom, Psi Upsilon’s concrete sidewalk is being replaced, the University Towne House is being demolished, and the plot of grass in front of LeChase Hall has been replanted.
Fraternities have also seen an enhancement in living due to efforts by Residential Life. Fraternities like Delta Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, Psi Upsilon, Alpha Delta Phi, and Theta Chi are all being renovated. The Sigma Chi house will also receive a new porch.
The University has taken over financial responsibility for the houses, helping the chapters with the task of maintaining finances and the house, leaving their residents to focus on the philanthropic and academic aspects of Greek life.
In addition, long-term projects are in the works, including the new $145 million Golisano Children’s Hospital tower, featuring private rooms and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and scheduled to arrive in 2015, and College Town, the $100 million project to provide destination dining and shopping near Mt. Hope Avenue and Elmwood Avenue.
Hinson is a member of the class of 2016.
