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Nursing Building Update

^^^Thanks for the updates.

Right on...the new ASU nursing school building is going to be taller than what I thought it was going to be.

In the first photo there's a second construction site peeking in off in the distance.

Thanks, PHX PD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_Vandercook (Post 3723723)

you mean the fat mexican at the end?

I'll take the blonde girl x 3

I would too...but las gorditas need loving too. I'm no small fry either you know.:banana:

Downtown students fear lack of campus vibe
by Kelly McGrath - Aug. 11, 2008 04:57 PM
The Arizona Republic

Quote:

Not everybody is thrilled about Arizona State University's push to expand its downtown Phoenix campus.

Some students are unhappy about leaving the Tempe campus. The main complaint: There is no college atmosphere in downtown Phoenix.

ASU's College of Public Programs, University College and College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation have moved downtown. The Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication joined them last month.

"How will students be able to get involved on campus with things such as Greek life when they are located 20 miles away on the downtown campus?" recent ASU graduate Katie Gardiner asked.

Nursing school officials say the move has had a positive effect on the college's facilities and learning environment.

"The facilities are larger than we had on the Tempe campus, and we have room for expansion," said Terry Olbrysh, director of marketing and communication for the nursing school.

The college broke ground this summer for its second building, which will have classrooms and allow students a central gathering point, Olbrysh added.

Nursing student Julie Reen agrees that new buildings and technology are helpful, but she has concerns.

"The downtown campus does not have a college atmosphere at all," she said.

Reen began her commute to Phoenix last school year and will continue to travel there until she graduates in two years. She said that when she applied, ASU told her she would have to move downtown by her junior year.

"If I was told I would have to go downtown my freshman year, I would have chosen a different college because I feel that it is important to have the college-campus atmosphere for a while," Reen said.

Former ASU student Jackie Rowe entered the downtown campus as a freshman and transferred out of ASU less than a year later because of the lack of a campus atmosphere.

"At first it seems really fun and like there will be a lot to do, but soon you realize that there is nothing - and the only time there is something to do, it's in Tempe," Rowe said.

She said she did not have a car and found it hard to find reliable transportation to Tempe. Light rail, which will connect downtown Phoenix to downtown Tempe, opens in December.

Rowe said downtown also lacks accessible grocery or convenience stores.

"The food was awful," she said. "They had no cafeteria, just a sit-down restaurant that was never open, along with a little store that was only open till 5 p.m. and closed on weekends."

According to the ASU parking Web site, a shuttle runs between the Tempe and Phoenix campuses every half hour.

"It's always on time, the drivers are friendly, and the locations of the shuttle are very accessible," ASU student Lauren Misak said.

Misak said she will use the shuttle until light rail is running.

Gardiner said she was happy she graduated in May because she won't have to worry about commuting.

"You lose the college atmosphere by moving downtown, and it's just an inconvenience trying to commute," she said. "I was president of my sorority on campus. It made this college experience what it was. I think it's going to be more difficult for students to join Greek life when they're located on a different campus."

Not everyone feels that way, Misak said.

"I've been to Phoenix and talked to students, and they seem more comfortable with the downtown campus," she said. "Students on the Tempe campus are more scared to move downtown because it's something different. But once they get downtown, I believe their fears will be suppressed."

My response:

20 miles to Greek life?

Try 11.

Along the light rail, just so ya know. But wait... isn't Crow tearing all the frathouses down anyway?

The article hardly strays from its angle--clueless, whiny ASU students. I had to re-read it. It sounds like that stupid girl without a car quoted never left the 2.5 blocks that was the campus her entire time. How pathetic. NOBODY is gonna hold your hand the whole way sister.

You're welcome. My property tax money just BUILT YOU BRAND NEW all this stuff because the State is utterly incapable of funding education so the City had to step in.

So just remember who to thank when you're enjoying your high-rise floor-to-ceiling view from Taylor Place, getting a way better deal than you should in ridiculously cool brand new academic buildings, and relaxing in an incredibly designed park amidst monumental public art from a world-renowned artist.

No mention of what downtown DOES offer, like a plethora of fantastic restaurants. The $6 Sheppard's Pie at Seamus O'Rourke's fits just about any student's budget and is a darn good meal. Matt's Big Breakfast is a day's meal for the same price.

Oh, that grocery store? The downtown AJ's opens in 2009. The Safeway on 7th St and McDowell is less than a mile away. And here's the clincher--the closest grocery store to ASU Tempe is what, 3 miles away?

And these kids long for Tempe. Face it. Tempe sold out on its downtown for them long ago. The Arches complex? Gone. Cheap restaurants? Gone or dying. Multiplex theatre? Gone. Practically everything cool on Mill? History.

I'll take Carly's or Fate or Palette or Fair Trade any day of the week. Tempe can keep that miserable IHOP on Apache and the plethora of chains amidst the remnants of Mill Avenue. Tempe has NOTHING that compares to the Brickhouse Theatre or the Dodge. And I'd be hard pressed to think of *one* restaurant or coffee shop in Tempe with a fraction of the soul and character in any one of the dozens in downtown Phoenix.

Downtown Phoenix is the last place the college kids are welcome. They'll thank us someday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by combusean (Post 3732164)

The $6 Sheppard's Pie at Seamus O'Rourke's fits just about any student's budget and is a darn good meal.

while I agree with most of your post, what the hell is Seamus O'Rourke's?

Quote:

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX - Hundreds of Arizona State University students will start moving into a new dorm building on the downtown Phoenix campus on Aug. 20, ASU officials say.

Taylor Place, which is located at 120 E. Taylor St., is 13 stories tall and has a cafeteria, fitness room, a shade garden as well as indoor and outdoor study areas. The first tower of the $150 million project can hold more than 576 beds and will open next week, said Julie Newberg, the school's spokeswoman.

The first tower could have accommodates up to 744 beds, but the school converted some of the double occupancy rooms into singles to attract upper classmen, Newberg said.
The second tower, with 550 beds, will open in 2009.

Quote:

Originally Posted by combusean (Post 3732164)

No mention of what downtown DOES offer, like a plethora of fantastic restaurants. The $6 Sheppard's Pie at Seamus O'Rourke's fits just about any student's budget and is a darn good meal. Matt's Big Breakfast is a day's meal for the same price.

Oh, that grocery store? The downtown AJ's opens in 2009. The Safeway on 7th St and McDowell is less than a mile away. And here's the clincher--the closest grocery store to ASU Tempe is what, 3 miles away?

And these kids long for Tempe. Face it. Tempe sold out on its downtown for them long ago. The Arches complex? Gone. Cheap restaurants? Gone or dying. Multiplex theatre? Gone. Practically everything cool on Mill? History.

I'll take Carly's or Fate or Palette or Fair Trade any day of the week. Tempe can keep that miserable IHOP on Apache and the plethora of chains amidst the remnants of Mill Avenue. Tempe has NOTHING that compares to the Brickhouse Theatre or the Dodge. And I'd be hard pressed to think of *one* restaurant or coffee shop in Tempe with a fraction of the soul and character in any one of the dozens in downtown Phoenix.

It's the culture, man. Tempe's college-kid staples are dropping like flies, sure, but literally everywhere you go in downtown Tempe, you're surrounded by ASU students. Even if it's just somewhere lame like the Seattle's Best Coffee in Borders - it's still got the college-town vibe. I can sympathize with the nursing students and everyone else who complains about being in DT Phoenix. You're really missing out on the feeling, the critical mass that Tempe will always have by dint of 40,000+ students. Places like Fair Trade and Matt's are a hike from most of the downtown campus, and once you get there, you're going to be surrounded by people who aren't college students. It's just different. Plus, name places in DT Phoenix that are open past, say, 10 PM. Add the general moon-scape feeling you get walking around DT Phoenix at night and you're going to turn all these nursing students into morning people. (Sad, sad day...)

When the light rail opens, maybe it'll be less of a harsh difference - as long as ASU ponies up for students passes.

also:

ME WANT PARK PICTURES!!!!

(bad cookie monster, bad)

Light rail: ASU says they'll give students passes. At least that's what they told my nephew (who's starting as a freshmen) during the orientation. We'll see.

I've also been told the U-pass will be accepted on light rail.

They already have free student passes for the buses (which started a few years ago) called the ASU Student UPASS. The passes for this school year are not only for buses, but also for METRO Light Rail when it starts in December.

Kevininlb: ASU doesn't just "give" out the passes, you have to go to one of their Commuter Options offices to get it.

The news ticker is up and running. Cool but we need much more of this kind of thing.:banana:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...17asu0817.html

At last, ASU Downtown takes shape - Expanded Phoenix campus welcomes 1,500 new students
by Jahna Berry - Aug. 17, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

For two years, Phoenix has had a taste of downtown college life. This year, Arizona State University officials say, the city will see the main course. A new journalism-school building and a 13-story dorm will open their doors for the first time this semester, but the big boost will come from the students themselves. Unlike many of the campus' current students who are commuters, graduate students and the like, the new students - as many as 1,500 - are more likely to be underclassmen. In addition to those who will live on campus, many more will hang out downtown.

Business owners have wondered if the taxpayer-funded ASU satellite campus will deliver on its promises to bring foot traffic and a college vibe downtown. Although the ASU campus has helped the city court prospective downtown developers, few nearby shops have seen throngs of student customers, merchants say. This year will help change that, said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The bulk of the new faces will be enrolled at his school, which moved from Tempe into a new six-story, $71 million building on Central Avenue this summer.

Until this year, the student population had risen gradually downtown as ASU colleges there increased enrollment. When the first ASU schools opened downtown in 2006, enrollment was 2,766. Last year, enrollment reached 3,377.

Dorms downtown - Students have started moving into a 576-bed tower called Taylor Place. The second tower of the $150 million dorm complex at 120 E. Taylor St. will have 550 beds and will open in 2009. At last count, about 400 students had signed room leases.

"I am excited about being downtown," said Shannon Green, a 21-year-old journalism major who will work in Taylor Place as a community assistant, a job once known as a resident adviser. Green has an internship at Channel 3 (KTVK-TV). "I can bike to that location," she said.

The university is prodding students to live downtown and is taking steps to make living there more appealing. In the past, many students complained that downtown Phoenix lacked the traditional campus feel of Tempe.
Under a new university-housing policy, freshmen who plan to live in ASU dorms must live in those that are on the same campus where their majors are based. This year, that policy includes nursing, social-work and journalism students, whose classes will be held downtown.
The effort will boost the number of students who live on campus and lower the number who drop out, university officials say.

"We know that students are more capable if they are embedded in their academic program and they are engaged in the campus," said Debra Friedman, vice president of the downtown Phoenix campus. Research shows that dorm life can help retain students during that crucial freshman year, when many leave, she said.

Hoping for business - A few blocks away from campus, Cibo owner Mike Krassner says he is upbeat about the campus rising downtown. Business at his restaurant picks up each year, but he is unsure if it's because of the university. Krassner said he has seen some ASU faculty members, but few students, eating at Cibo's tables.

"It's amazing how fast that downtown campus went up," he said. "In general, you do see more people out and about. Before, people would go right to a game. Now, they make a night of it."

Many shops are particularly hungry for student foot traffic. Many have been battered by the sagging economy and disrupted by light-rail construction and are hoping new customers will ease that pain. Many shop owners and arts groups are frustrated that downtown students don't know what the area has to offer, said small-business advocate Kimber Lanning.

"I was talking to students who live near Van Buren, and they didn't know what First Friday is," said Lanning, referring to the monthly art-gallery walk that draws thousands of people downtown.

Friedman, the ASU official, has heard that grumbling. There is an ever-growing list of ties between the university and city arts groups, such as the Phoenix Symphony. But businesses may find that the 1,000 faculty and staff members downtown have a bigger impact on their bottom lines than students, she said.
"It will take time for the university to find more ways to connect," Friedman said. And "there are a lot of businesses that don't have late or weekend hours," when students shop. "It's a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing."

Extending a welcome - The city and businesses are taking matters into their own hands to lure students off campus. Earlier this month, the mayor's staff took the Taylor Place dorm staff on a tour of nearby restaurants.

At each stop, special guests, including Mayor Phil Gordon and Councilman Michael Johnson, talked up downtown. Restaurant owners ducked out of the kitchens with platters of samples and warm words for the ASU students, who will probably advise other dorm residents about where to eat. The tour was a big help, said Kayla Wilcox, a 20-year-old junior who was on the staff this spring at ASU's temporary downtown dorm, a former Ramada Inn.

"I had heard of these places (to eat), but I didn't know where they were," Wilcox said.

Volunteers recently stuffed 1,800 "Welcome Wagon" bags with fliers, coupons and promotions for shops, arts groups, restaurants and other organizations, said Steve Weiss, steering-committee chairman for the Downtown Voices Coalition. The bags will go to students, faculty and staff, he said.

The university is working on a discount program with local businesses. Students and staff who show their ID cards in select shops will get dis- counts. After students return from winter break, the campus will receive another crucial boost. ASU officials expect that the campus will rely heavily on light rail, which launches Dec. 27, to shuttle students and employees to and from the main campus in Tempe.

And more enhancements are on the way. A $30 million addition to the nursing school and a $30 million city park are expected to open next year. Other university divisions are considering moving downtown, Friedman said, adding that final decisions haven't been made. By 2020, the university envisions that 15,000 students will be attending classes downtown, she said.

"This place is like a magnet," she said.

--don

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phxbyrd211 (Post 3740499)

The news ticker is up and running. Cool but we need much more of this kind of thing.:banana:

Anyone have a pic?

More programs may be moving to the downtown campus, due to budget cuts and consolidation. From Jahna Berry's blog at azcentral.com this morning:

Quote:

How ASU's planned $6 million budget cut impacts the downtown Phoenix campus

Arizona State University's cost-cutting plan could have a big impact on the downtown Phoenix campus.

Arizona Republic reporter Anne Ryman wrote today:

"Arizona State University plans to eliminate 81 administrative positions. The cuts come as part of statewide reductions designed to close a $2 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2009. No classes or faculty jobs or academic degrees are being lost, ASU officials say," Ryman reports.

The plan must be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. The budget reductions announced on Monday total about $6 million. ASU must cut its budget by nearly $23 million for the 2009 fiscal year.

The three-year-old downtown Phoenix campus wouldn't lose staff, but could gain two programs from the West campus.

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice as well as the Department of Recreation and Tourism Management could move to Phoenix as early as the 2009-2010 academic year, says said Virgil Renzulli, vice president of public affairs.

Other plan details: a downtown Phoenix teacher education program would stay put, but it would be administered from the West campus. The Department of Social Work, which is downtown, would merge with the School of Social Work on the West campus. Neither would move, ASU officials say.

The criminal justice and tourism moves are part of a university-wide effort to streamline operations, to merge programs and to forge "natural collaborations," the university officials said in a press release.

"We think that downtown is the right place" for those programs Renzulli said, noting that the plan calls for the business school to expand to the West campus. "West comes out ahead and downtown comes out ahead," he said.

Renzulli downplayed the plan's impact on academics.

"There is no academic impact in the sense that courses continue to be taught as they were," he said.

Renzulli, however, didn't rule out future cuts. The reductions are a response to falling state revenues, which have been hard hit by Arizona's economic slump.

"The economy doesn't look good, so we don't know what is going to happen," the vice president said. "Certainly we can't rule out the possibility of more cuts. But it gets harder and harder to do these. If we keep making cuts, they keep going deeper."

Nice job, I just wish that main ASU building wasn't that putrid shade of beige.

I wish the news scroll would have continued over that corner window. And I wish it was more like the scroll screens in Chase or USAC...more HD and such. Small little quibbles on an otherwise gorgeous building. ASU has a gem right there.

Beautiful pics PHX_PD!
HooverDam- I know! I wish they could paint it!

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