As summer vacation ends – with students trading in their days at the beach for late night cram sessions in the library – returning Grand Valley State University students will notice some changes on the Allendale Campus.

From renovations in student parking to expansions in campus dining, GVSU has undertaken a multitude of summer projects in order to contend with academic and spatial demands on campus.

“We are making improvements in living and learning, maintaining what we have and upgrading living centers on campus for the future,” said Adam Tate, facilities manager for Housing and Residence Life at GVSU.

The largest project completed this summer was the construction of the Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center, the newest student housing and academic building on the north side of campus.

Located on the east side of Mackinac Hall, the living-learning center will accommodate about 500 students in cluster-style housing, which emphasizes rooms being situated around bathrooms and lounge spaces.

The main lobby of the living-learning center will include the relocated Einstein Bros. – which was moved to expand seating for Fresh Food Co. and incorporate new food stations, including an all-day breakfast station – and a multipurpose room in the air-conditioned building.

In addition to a lounge and kitchen on every floor and game room in the basement, three classrooms, a computer lab and a media lab will also be included in the living-learning center.

“What we wanted to do was provide some new amenities for freshmen students and provide a new academic space that they didn’t have in that part of campus,” said Brandie Tenney.

Tenney, the assistant director for Housing and Resident Life at GVSU, emphasized adding classrooms and the computer lab in the living-learning center will provide a positive experience for the students joining the Allendale Campus community.

“About 20 percent of students in the Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center are first year honor students,” she said. “With this extra classroom space being added on to the center, general education courses and some honors courses can then be taught in an environment where students can live and learn at their own pace.”

An additional change to housing was demolition of the Ravines Apartments.

Lisa Garringer, the parking services manager at GVSU, said the removal of the Ravines Apartments added over 300 parking spaces, which expanded Parking Lot B, for students.

“After doing our annual survey, we found in our data that some relocations needed to be made to make commuter parking available,” Garringer said. “With the removal of the Ravines, it was a good opportunity to provide support for both student parking and great access for athletic events.”