The Medical Campus will receive several new additions, as construction has begun for a new Education Union and an outdoor recreational complex intended to benefit the Health Sciences program at Saint Louis University.
“This will bring a wonderful sense of community to the Health Science Campus,” said Philip Alderson, M.D., Vice President of Student Development and dean of the School of Medicine.
The plans for the 30,000-square-foot Education Union, to be located in the middle of the Medical Campus, includes an auditorium, student lounges and a cafe. The Education Union will also be home to the standardized patient stimulation program, an interactive activity for medical students to practice communication skills with actors as ill patients, as well as provide a place for the Interprofessional Education Center.
“We believe students will get a lot out of having a facility where they can relax and get that sense of community,” Alderson said.
Construction has also begun for the Grand Boulevard Streetscape Project, which plans for the section of Grand between Chouteau and Park avenues to have new lighting, signage, sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaped medians. The renovation is designed to accompany the Grand Boulevard Bridge project, which is expected to begin in the winter.
The addition will also provide a permanent for the track and field teams at SLU. Track and field coach Jon Bell said he is looking forward to the soccer field and eight lane, 400 meter running track because he thinks it is something that will benefit not only SLU athletes, but the general public and club sports as well.
Prior to adding a new track and field, the track and field teams have been practicing at Cardinal Ritter High School, just north of SLU’s campus. Bell said that when the track and field was under renovation at Cardinal Ritter, the SLU teams were forced to travel to several locations to practice for meets, including John Burrows School and Saint Louis University High School. The new location will mean less roaming around St. Louis for the team.
“I’m very thankful that we finally found a place to call home,” Bell said.
However, home meets for the track and field team will not begin immediately. Bell said that in order to host meets at SLU, an estimated sum of $150,000 to $200,000 must be raised for equipment.
“A lot of people don’t realize how expensive it is,” Bell said.
The track and field teams are currently organizing fund raisers and asking alumni athletes to donate for equipment. Bell said he expects the first home meet will occur in two or three years. Bell said he is thankful for the support from the SLU community throughout the duration of this project. “There are a lot of people that made this project happen, some not even involved in athletics, and I am very thankful for them,” Bell said.
The construction of a track and field is largely due to the promotional efforts of Michael Harriss, former President of Student Government Association last year.
Alderson said that he hopes the new center will bring unity to the north and south campuses. “I am very much an advocate of the university as one large campus. I would like to have students from the north campus feeling welcome to this side of campus,” Alderson said. “We are very excited about the growth down here.”