Benson layout to be overhauled this summer

By Matt Rupel

This summer, major renovations to the Benson Memorial Center are planned to enhance students' dining experiences and accommodate student groups.

The construction, broken into two phases, will first get rid of barriers currently separating Market Square, The Bronco and Mission Bakery. The second phase of renovation will rearrange and add student groups to lower level Benson, as previous tenants move to the Locatelli Student Activities Center.

"It will be a totally different experience when you walk in there next fall," said Joe Sugg, assistant vice president of university operations.

According to Sugg, plans are to remove the glass partitions separating the dining commons from Mission Bakery. Doors will also directly connect The Bronco to the dining commons. The wall between the area for ordering food and the dining commons of Market Square will be removed. Additionally, the plans include changes to Benson's lighting and ceiling.

Graduate student Matt Ambauen appreciates the new layout changes to Market Square. "I think they could really improve the flow of moving through the cafeteria," he said. "It's really crowded, especially around lunchtime."

Without the separating wall, students will no longer pay and order food independent of each other. Instead, they will order their food and pay in the same location and then find seating.

"We wanted to eliminate the two lines that people have to stand in right now," said Jane Barrantes, the assistant vice president of auxiliary services.

"They stand in a line to get whatever they want and they also have to stand in a line over here with the cashier," she said "There is a keen desire to not have people be so congested and to spread out and use the seating space and use the serving space."

With the current layout, some students, such as freshman Joshua Ronen, can be forced out of Market Square altogether.

"I sometimes take my food to my dorm room or I can sit in the area outside or even go to Mission Mission," said Ronen.

To help will traffic in Market Square, The Bronco is going to be opened from 11:30 a.m. until its late night closing. Additionally, The Grill is being moved from Market Square to The Bronco. This will provide a greater variety of food for late night options.

There will also be a sandwich deli near the entrance to the dining commons.

Sandwiches and lunch meats can be purchased and then brought back to an apartment or dorm room so that a student can prepare a meal in his or her room. The deli area will be mobile so that the area can be used for extra seating during large events.

"We've been thinking about this kind of thing for several years," said Barrantes, "What we have now was designed in 1995."

Further changes are being prompted by the relocation of several groups to the brand new Locatelli Student Activities Center. Renovations will re-organize some of the construction of the lower level so that new groups can occupy Benson and better utilize the space. Currently, the only known group to be moving into the lower level is the university's radio station, KSCU.

In 2008, Facilities and Operations drafted the Office Backfill Plan for Benson.

The purpose was to make recommendations for how to fill spaces after they were vacated due to the completion of the Harrington Learning Commons and Lucas Hall.

The document proposed a location for school spirit groups such as the Ruff Riders, Pep Band, and the cheerleaders and a location for programs like the Peer Educators, Every 2 Minutes and One in Four.

There is a committee of faculty and students charged with determining what groups will fill the remaining spaces.

Matt Cameron, the assistant vice provost for student life, is the head of this committee.

"What will happen is there are four entities that will be leaving this building -- The Center for Student Leadership, the Activities Programming Board, Associated Students of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara Community Action Program," he said.

According to Cameron, the committee deciding how to reorganize Benson is based on providing the best conveniences for students to be able to access it on a day-to-day basis.

"I can't even visualize what the space would look like, because we don't have the pieces yet," said Cameron. "But I would be shocked if there were changes to how you see the hall."

According to Cameron, a few interior walls will be shifted, but not much beyond that.

Students can expect to see these renovations completed for the start of the fall quarter.

Contact Matt Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu.