Bookstore renovations adds space, new storage

Following the renovations to the bottom of Maxwell Student Union, the dining hall is still on schedule for its summer construction.

This past summer the bookstore, Bobcat card office and MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union all underwent changes.

“This (remodeling) was part of the longer plan,” said Executive Director of Auxiliary Services Kyle Cullars. “When we opened Box Office Books, we wanted to scale back this (bookstore).”

Under the old layout, the bookstore had more floor space for retail items. Now the Bobcat card office is closer to the front and expanded. MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union also moved toward the front of the store. These changes reduced the number of items sold at the bookstore.

According to Cullars, the changes cost around $100,000. Most of the expense was picked up by the Follett Higher Education Group, which also helped finish Box Office Books. The Follett Higher Education Group has the contract for the GCSU bookstore and is planning to further evaluate the layout of the store to improve sales.

The Auxiliary Services offices also underwent renovations over the summer. The entrance to the offices is now in the back of the bookstore. There is more room for the offices and an addition of a room dedicated for meetings. The walls are adorned with black and white photographs from all over campus.

The remodeling had a positive effect on other portions of Auxiliary Services.

“They increased Sodexo storage,” Cullars said. “They desperately needed that space.”

During the summer of 2011 the dining hall will be undergoing some updating. The current plans will allow the dining hall to be set up with different food stations around a central seating area. There will also be different table sizes to accommodate the variety of groups.

According to Cullars, a committee is in the process of writing a request for proposals from companies and evaluating the proposals that come in. The proposals will be due Feb. 1. The committee is made up of members from campus departments as well as RSA and SGA.

The dining hall remodeling is expected to begin in May 2011 and be completed during the summer. Chick-fil-A will remain open during the summer for those seeking dining.

Posted by Matt Chambers on Oct 8 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.