Launch Party to Mark Opening of Price Center Expansion
Ioana Patringenaru | May 5, 2008
Paul Terzino, director of University Centers, poses in the new Price Center atrium.
Students have more room to eat and study. They are now able to shop for groceries right on campus. New restaurants and a night club are set to open later this year. The Price Center has doubled in size and the UC San Diego community will be celebrating May 12 with a launch party.
The goal is to introduce the expansion to the community and celebrate the Price Center as the anchor for the campus’ new downtown, said Paul Terzino, director of University Centers. University officials also want to celebrate the accomplishments of all the students who helped bring to life the expansion as far back as 2002, he said.
The launch party starts at 11:30 a.m. May 12 in the Price Center’s new atrium and includes a reception with free food and drinks, as well as a food tasting hosted by new and existing Price Center restaurants. Participants will enjoy live music, dancing and cultural performances. They also will be able to win raffle prizes, including airline tickets, a laptop, a kayak and a digital camera. Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Vice Chancellors Steven Relyea and Penny Rue will speak at the event, as will Associated Students President Donna Bean and University Centers Advisory Board Chair Matthew Bright.
The new Sunshine Market is open for business.
Officials said they hope the new and improved Price Center will become one of the highlights of the university’s new downtown, which started taking shape when the new Student Services Center opened last academic year. Lyman Lane, which runs along the western end of the UCSD Bookstore, will become the area’s new main artery. The downtown will fully take shape when the campus’ new music center opens in spring 2009.
A new food court
Students have already taken over the Price Center’s new atrium, which features a 350-seat indoor food court. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, they beat the heat by seeking shelter there. Seniors Katie Bennett, Alexis Trimble and Ingrid Stein said they liked the extra seating room. “It’s a good place to get away from the sun,” Trimble said. She also had good things to say about the nearby Sunshine Market, a small grocery store. “It’s got a lot of selections,” she said. “It’s great for students who live on campus.”
Mary Beebe, director of the Stuart Collection, looks at a mural by former UCSD faculty member Barbara Kruger, that adorns the new Price Center atrium.
That day, the Sunshine Market was making brisk business. It sells a wide variety of products, including canned goods, toiletries and basic staples, such a sugar. The store’s food selections also have dramatically expanded since the days when it was located near the UCSD Bookstore and known as the Sunshine Store. In addition to sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and vegetables, it offers hot soup. On this particular Tuesday, selections included rosemary chicken with dumplings and broccoli cheese.
Moving in
In addition to the atrium, most of the expansion, known as the Price Center East, has already opened, said Terzino. Several meetings have taken place in brand new conference rooms and lounges are furnished and ready for use. On Wednesday, 32 computers were delivered for one of the lounges, which will double as a computer lab. The Associated Students, the Center for Student Involvement, the Alumni Association and several other offices and student organizations have moved into their new digs.
Students walk in one of the tunnels that connect the Price Center West with the expansion, known as the Price Center East.
“We’re so fortunate to be here,” said Mary Johnson, who directs the Alumni Association’s alumni engagement efforts. “It’s going to be a dramatic improvement.”
Johnson said the association’s new location would boost its interaction with students. Already, more staff members and students are stopping by the office, Johnson said. “What we’re seeing already is a dramatic change in the level of energy,” she added. Meanwhile, staff members are settling in and unpacking boxes. Furniture is getting delivered. It’s sleek and modern, Johnson pointed out. “It just has a very good feel to it,” Johnson said of the association’s new quarters. “It feels very open; it feels very inviting.”
Still coming up
Some eateries haven't opened yet, but students have already taken over the new atrium, where they do their homework and have lunch.
But there is still much to be done, Terzino said. Eight new restaurants will open in the atrium in fall, as will The Loft @UCSD, a night club, restaurant and performance lounge. So far, the university selected Burger King, Santorini Island Grill, which will serve Mediteranian food, Tapioca Express, an Asian tea shop, and Bombay Coast, an Indian restaurant, as vendors. Four more vendors will be chosen to man a pasta eatery, a dessert place, a coffee house and The Loft’s restaurant.
A 4,500-foot, two-story ballroom with a built-in stage and a high-tech lights and sound system will be completely up and running by June 1, Terzino said, as will a dance studio, which can be used for rehearsals. The Cross-Cultural Center also is set to move to the Price Center East that month. The Grand Stairs, a series of tall concrete steps that will double as seating space, will be ready by mid-June. A Triton statue is set to go up in front of the stairs at a later date.
“Once the party is over, I’ll really be relieved,” said Terzino, explaining that many University Centers staff members have been feverishly planning for the event. “I am very relieved to have the building open.”
|
