Colorado State University students, dignitaries and members of the campus community celebrated the Recreation Center renovation and addition at a groundbreaking ceremony on May 6, on the Recreation Center outdoor patio. The ceremony signifies the beginning of Phase I construction.
Interior facility renovation and new construction begins mid-May. The first phase is scheduled to be completed in January 2010 with a new entrance, lobby, climbing wall, meeting rooms, massage rooms and court space. The second and third phases of construction are scheduled to be completed by August 2010, culminating with a grand opening.
The Student Recreation Center construction project is entirely funded by student fees. It was approved by the Student Fee Review Board in February 2008, Associated Students of Colorado State University in April 2008 and the CSU Board of Governors in May 2008. Funding for the Student Recreation Center project is part of a CSU - Fort Collins campus bond that was secured in June 2008.
Colorado State University finished in the top 10 in the nation in the Grand Champion competition for RecycleMania, a 10-week recycling competition among colleges and universities across the nation. CSU finished 10th with a cumulative recycling rate of just over 54 percent of the total waste generated on campus, up from 51 percent last year. CSU also finished 20th in the country in the Waste Minimization category.
"This year's competition was fierce with more than 500 schools and universities competing," said Tonie Miyamoto, Director of Communication for Housing and Dining Services at Colorado State. "For CSU to remain in the top 10 is a great feat and demonstrates the University's commitment to sustainability."
CSU finished first in the state among the five Colorado universities participating in the Grand Champion division of the competition. All competing campuses nationally recycled 69.4 million pounds of waste over the 10-week competition. During the 10 weeks, CSU recycled 453,840 pounds of material.
Close to 2,200 students signed up to volunteer for Colorado State University's CSUnity on Saturday, April 18. This record-breaking number is 500 more than volunteered in 2008. From 9 a.m.-3 p.m., CSU students volunteered for numerous agencies throughout Larimer County, donating more than 13,000 hours of community service.
In its 13th year of serving Northern Colorado, CSUnity strives to educate students about the importance of community service. Each community partner gives an orientation to the student volunteers informing them about their cause and organizational mission. The orientation helps give students a better understanding of the impact they can have in just a few hours and often engenders a long-term commitment to service in each student volunteer.
In addition to current Colorado State students, for the second year, students from Lincoln Junior High partnered with CSU to participate in the event. This year also marked the third year of alumni participation. The Alumni Association partnered with the Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement Office to expand the program to alumni and friends nationwide. CSUnity programs took place in Denver, Kansas City, San Diego and San Francisco.
