Here’s what you missed at UD
A fly-over view of the student neighborhood on campus, which has undergone several changes this summer. Photo by Keegan Gupta, director of digital media & photography.
Zoë Hill | Print Editor-in-Chief
Welcome back, Flyers!
The University of Dayton serves as a constant for many students. A place where you know you can find your friends, a place that offers a steady routine and reprieve from the chaos of summer internships and, of course, a place where Marycrest’s Mac and Cheese Monday is always there for you. But, the campus is also constantly changing to offer students new experiences and opportunities.
While we know you might have missed UD, here’s what you missed while you were away!
Roger Glass Center for the Arts
The corner of Main Street and Stewart Street looks different than when students drove away from campus in May.
Summer construction on the Roger Glass Center for the Arts, announced in November, made progress to the building which will house a concert hall, Flyer Media, an art gallery and other performative arts spaced.
The building was pitched as a “welcome mat” to the university based on its location and design. It features two front doors, one campus-facing and one city-facing to link UD further with the Dayton community.
When announced in the fall of 2021, UD officials said they expected construction completed sometime in late 2023.
The Emporium Closure and Dining Updates
The Emporium located in Marianist Hall next to the bookstore will be closed for the fall semester. The university announced the closure on Thursday and said the location would be undergoing updates and renovations.
“Empo” is expected to reopen for the spring semester, but in the meantime, the university suggested visiting the Rudy on the Run food truck in Humanities Plaza for nearby food options. The truck is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday. It is closed Fridays and Sundays.
‘Que in Kennedy Union will also start operating on Sunday evenings for students from 3-8 p.m.
With the closure, the university also announced a reusable container program through dining services. Three dining locations— Marycrest, Kennedy Union and VWK— will have reusable containers available for students to eat from and return. The containers are mandatory at Marycrest and optional at the other two locations. Students who opt for a compostable container and not the reusable containers will be charged 35 cents.
The reusable containers have a barcode that will be scanned when a student orders food and again when it is returned to keep track of the container. Containers are expected to be returned within two days of use to be washed and sanitized by dining services, according to the university.
While dining services said it intends to add incentives to the program to encourage student involvement, it will be giving a free container to students during this year’s pilot phase.
Premier Health Medical Facility on Brown Street
Another building springing up over the summer was the medical facility on Brown Street. A partnership with the university and Premier Health, the building will serve as a weekend urgent care for students and university staff, as well as house imaging, primary care, rehabilitation, sports medicine counseling and lab services.
The original plan proposed for the land near the Patterson Homestead involved tearing down the South Park Methodist Church and building the health center in its place. After community discussions and campaigning by the Preserve Dayton organization, the plans were revived to repurpose and incorporate the century-old church into the design of the building.
Insomnia Cookies Opens Near Campus
Insomnia Cookies opened its first Dayton-area location this summer, offering students another place to stop in for a treat during a tough school week or a fun friend date.
The new location sits at the southwest corner of campus at 6 Oakwood Ave. in the plaza with Firehouse Subs and Tastefully Roasted.
Insomnia Cookies operates on a business model conducive to college students by staying open late hours. With this location just barely falling within Oakwood city limits, it was originally denied extended operating hours.
Oakwood Mayor Bill Duncan expressed concerns for the noise and traffic that staying open late would bring to the city. He told the Dayton Daily News that UD students have been “bad neighbors.”
The business appealed the decision which was overturned allowing Insomnia to remain open until 11 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday through Thursday, it is open until 10 p.m. On a one-year trial basis, the store can offer cookie delivery daily until 2 a.m.
Locker Mailing System Launches for Packages and Letters
This fall, UD is switching the majority of its mail service to an intelligent locker system. For the last few semesters, some students have been receiving packages through this system already, but dorm- and apartment-dwelling students will now exclusively get packages and letter mail through the lock system.
Over 1,300 lockers of varying sizes have been installed on the first floor of Fitz Hall on Brown Street. According to the university, the switch was brought on to better accommodate student schedules and the efficacy of mail processing. The university has to process approximately 600-800 letters and packages every day, according to university officials.
Mail rooms in residence halls held restricted hours, whereas Fitz Hall’s mail lockers are accessible 24/7 for students to pick up deliveries.
Students living in the student neighborhood will continue to get mail and packages delivered to their porches, but students and Marycrest Complex, Virginia W. Kettering Hall, Stuart Hall, Founders Hall, Marianist Hall, Caldwell Apartments, Adele Center, Plumwood Apartments and University Place Apartments will need to swing by Fitz.
Mailing services ensure that the lockers are secure due to the QR code unlocking system. When a student receives a letter or package, they will get an email notification making them aware of the mail. The email contains a barcode that is scanned at the locker kiosk in order to open individual lockers.
Additional instructions regarding the intelligent locker system were provided by the university:
How the lockers work:
- When students living in residence halls have a package or letter mail ready for pickup, they’ll receive an email with a digital pickup code and a barcode.
- Each bank of intelligent lockers has an assigned number above the kiosk screen. Once a student locates the locker bank identified in the email, they can either scan the barcode or enter the pickup code on the screen.
- Students will sign their name on the screen and press continue. The locker door where their package or letter mail is stored will automatically open so they can retrieve their item(s).
For more information, visit https://udayton.edu/facilities/mailingservices/.
Parking Changes
Throughout the summer, the university made a few changes to student parking and the lots themselves.
Students living in Caldwell Apartments applying for parking passes in July may have noticed a small but significant change to the complex’s parking lots.
In previous years CH lot was split into two parking lots: one on the corner of Brown Street and Stonemill Road and one on the corner of Brown Street and East Caldwell Street. If one lot filled up, the other was available for overflow parking. This could be an inconvenience for some students depending on what side of the complex they lived on. The lot on East Caldwell Street also required students to cross Brown Street.
Parking services renamed the lots and designated each one for a certain parking pass. The lot on East Caldwell Street is now CH1 and the lot on Stonemill Road is now CH2. Only CH1 pass-holders can park in CH1, and only CH2 pass-holders can park in CH2. This seemingly gives the choice to students of where is most convenient to park and eliminates the overflow scenario.
Road construction has also been an ongoing project throughout the summer. Part of Irving Avenue has been repaved as well as some road work is being done on the driveway of East Student Gardens near Zehler Avenue.
Students living near Evanston and Trinity avenues were notified recently that a parking lot would be under construction to add 21 additional parking spots for students. The university said they expect the project to be done by the end of October and are working to minimize distractions by working within restricted daytime hours. UD Housing and Residence Life also told residents in the email that students living adjacent to the parking project will be given first priority for parking passes when the lot is completed.
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