KALAMAZOO, MI — The new student center at Western Michigan University will not open this fall as previously planned, WMU said Friday, June 3.
Due to worldwide supply chain issues and a tight labor market, the opening of the new student center and dining center is postponed until January 2023, Spokesperson Paula Davis said in a press release.
The center was originally scheduled to open this fall, but is delayed due to issues with beams, Davis said.
Design and constructional officials determined there are beams that require additional fortification. Delivery of the necessary construction materials is delayed due to the supply chain issues, Davis said.
In the interim, the existing Bernhard Center will continue to serve as the student center. Originally slated for demolition this year, the Bernhard Center is also home to a dining facility, a computer lab, the Bronco mall, Student Organization Center, Bronco ID office and the bookstore, which was once a bowling alley open to students on the Bernhard Center’s lower level.
The Bernhard Center was built in 1957. The three-floor building is about 239,464 square feet overall, according to WMU facilities records.
Related: After 65 years as a hub for students, Western Michigan’s Bernhard Center will be demolished
University leaders will share more information on the new student center with the campus community no later than September, or as information becomes available, she said.
The new student center will be a three-story building with restaurants, shops, gathering spaces, lounges and even an on-campus brewpub.
Aside from a large selection of food and drink, the center will also include the campus bookstore, a PNC bank branch, a FedEx print and ship store, the admissions welcome center, a commuter resource center, a parents’ room, game room, 12 meeting rooms, a student art gallery, seven lounge spaces and a meditation room.
The university broke ground on the student center in September 2019. The project is part of the university’s plans to transform the southside of campus, now named Hilltop Village.
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