Bulletin News
08/18/2009
The Auxiliary Services Corporation of SUNY Cortland (ASC) will celebrate the grand opening of its newly remodeled College Store in Neubig Hall on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26. The event, during Family Weekend, will feature sales and giveaways.
The revamped facility took several years of planning and six weeks of actual construction.
“The College Store looks awesome,” said junior health science major Jesse Campanaro of Monticello, N.Y., who is president of the Student Government Association. “I think it will attract students and families. ASC really did an amazing job, I think students will be blown away by the new appearance.”
“Our intention was to provide students with a better space to shop in, one that is more open and inviting and easier to move around in,” said Terence Cahill, director of the College Store.
The greatly expanded bank of registers makes for much faster checkout during busy times, he said. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, new overhead lights, and banks of spot lighting flood the store with light. The wall that separated the book department from the rest of the store has been removed, a dramatic change creating a large, unified store.
“The store is more convenient for students,” noted graduate English major Rachael Goodrum of Hubbardsville, N.Y. “I like the way the textbooks are connected to the main store now.”
The computer demonstration and display area features the newest of Apple computers as well as a variety of PCs offered at educational discounts.
“The project was actually begun many years ago,” said Cahill. “My predecessor worked with several architects and produced some initial designs. When I began at the store in 2007, I was directed to pick up the project again.”
David Burgess of Drayden Design Group in Lexington, Ky., was engaged to complete the architectural plan. Part of a larger renovation program at Neubig Hall, the $650,000 project began in late April and was completed on June 12.
During construction, the College Store was relocated to the basement of Neubig Hall, maintaining operations through finals, end-of-semester textbook buyback and Commencement.
“Our mission is to provide service to students, so closing was not an option,” Cahill said. “We cut back on all but essential services in order to squeeze into such a small space but in the end we were able to provide students with the supplies they needed for finals and commencement.”
In keeping with the College’s mission to achieve sustainability, the College Store offers a new inkjet refilling program that allows customers to recycle and reuse their inkjet cartridges for a fraction of the cost of buying new. The bookstore also sells recycled textbooks offering substantial savings over the cost of new books.
“Students taking advantage of the store’s Prepack Program get first crack at used textbooks and the convenience of having their books packed and waiting for them when they return to campus,” Cahill said.
Founded more than 50 years ago, ASC is a not-for-profit organization that provides dining services, vending, college store, student ID cards and other essential services to the campus community. ASC is governed by a board of directors made up of students, faculty and administrators. ASC employs more than 400 regular staff members and students and is the largest employer of students on the SUNY Cortland campus.