Courtney Balcombe

News Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

Many changes are coming to the students at Penn State Behrend. While they may be big changes or small changes, campus renovations started the new school year with the students.

As students park in the Erie Lot or even drive by, they will notice the gated-off building known as Erie Hall. At the time Erie Hall opened, Behrend did not yet offer four-year degrees.

The 52,700-square-foot building will be a significant increase over the size of Erie Hall, which was the first building the University added to Ernst and Mary Behrend’s original Glenhill Farm estate. 

Originally 39 submitting teams responded to Penn State to work on Erie Hall. In February of 2019, 11 contractors were selected to continue to the next steps of the process. By March 2019, it came to the final three Penn state chose to interview for the renovations.

In May of 2019, the Penn State Board of Trustees appointed Sasaki Associates, Inc. of Watertown, MA to design the Erie Hall Replacement Building at Penn State Behrend, following the recommendation of the Subcommittee on Architect/Engineer Selection. However, due to the COVID pandemic, renovations had to be delayed.

Erie Hall has been used for many events such as dances, basketball championships, and a campaign stop by former President Bill Clinton. While the building is aged and dated, according to Penn State replacing it will remove almost $5 million from the campus maintenance backlog.

“[Erie Hall] is at the end of its lifecycle. There are millions of dollars in maintenance needs and it was more economical to replace the building than to renovate and expand it.” Dr. Ken Miller, Senior Director of Administration and Student Affairs said. “Further, the campus has outgrown the Junker Center and students have made recreation space a high priority for use of the Student Facility Fee.”

According to the project plan, “The $26M (total project cost) new, free-standing building project will provide existing and expanded facilities for recreation/fitness programming, Personal Counseling Services, Police Services, and space for PSU Behrend’s Athletics program. This project includes demolition and hazardous abatement of the existing Erie Hall building.”

Penn State also states that  “the new center will add facilities for student fitness and recreation, as well as a gymnasium, training rooms, and support space for the college’s NCAA Division III teams. It also will expand the campus’ wellness programs and the Personal Counseling office will use the new space to offer workshops related to anxiety reduction, stress management, nutrition, and healthy living strategies, among other health-related topics.”

Upperclassmen have known to find University Police and Public Safety, UPPS, in Erie Hall, however, this year their services can be found at the Logan Carriage House located right next to the Logan House. The Logan House is located at 4215 Station Rd, Erie, PA 16563 students can walk or drive to their new location.

However, UPPS is no longer giving students their parking passes. Instead, the Parking Office is located on the ground floor of the Reed Union Building past the Behrend Bookstore.

As students pass the Logan Carriage House, they will notice the building is also getting from work done, but only minor renovations. The building is used for the Office of Development (our fundraising staff) along with Junior Achievement. It also hosts many events throughout the year including Speaker Series dinners, club events, and college functions.

The next building to receive a make-over is Perry Hall, one of the traditional freshman residence halls. Perry has been closed for the past three years, and while it has been vacant the campus has decided to turn it into an eSports facility.

Renovations for the eSports facility have not started yet, but Dr. Miller said they will begin shortly and be ready in October for students to enjoy. He also added that “it will have over 20 workstations and is also being set up for spectators during matches. Scott Smith from IT is the coach.”

While there isn’t much information on the eSports renovations, is it set to be ready for student use before the end of the fall semester.