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Fresno State's student-run newspaper

The Collegian

Fresno State's student-run newspaper

The Collegian

Master Plan changes campus over 10 years

When the graduating class of 2008 comes back for their 10-year reunion, it won̢۪t be just their classmates who have changed.

The campus will have undergone a major facelift by then, as part of the university̢۪s Master Plan, a 20-year projection of all possible changes to the university̢۪s infrastructure, buildings, landscaping and parking.

“I see a greener campus, a more sustainable campus,â€Â said Bob Boyd, the associate vice-president for Facilities Management.

The library, Campus Pointe and the photovoltaic parking lot are all part of this Master Plan, as well as the new University High School, which is due to break ground in fall 2008.

In 10 years, the main entrance to the university will shift from Maple Avenue to Barton Avenue, near the new Henry Madden Library. A brand new Free Speech Area will greet students driving into campus, where the sides will be lined with trees and student booths.

The University Center Building will be demolished in order to increase the size of the Free Speech Area.

“It’s really crowded,â€Â Boyd said of trying to cram 20,000 students, plus the student booths, into that one area.

“The renovations will bring a lot more life into the center of campus,â€Â he said.

Many of the changes are going to be more than cosmetic, though. In order to accommodate a projected 5,000 student growth, major updates are needed to campus infrastructure.

Boyd said the infrastructure updates are “desperately neededâ€Â and it would “probably set the campus up for the next 25 years.â€Â

Priorities are expanding the air conditioning system and developing a sewer treatment plant. The plant will be key in helping Fresno State become a greener campus, as it will allow the school to use recycled water for its irrigation.

However, before many of these projects start, the campus needs to get the Master Plan formally approved. The school is currently studying the environmental impacts of the proposed projects, such as their affects on traffic and air quality. The Board of Trustees will decide whether to formally approve the plan in November 2008.

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