BY Gina D’Amico
Perspectives Editior
As students ventured back to campus this fall semester, the new construction and facilities caught many eyes.
“Coming back to Sacred Heart after this summer I was surprised with all the construction that has been going on but I am honestly jealous of the new students coming in because they will get to experience these new buildings when they are done,” said senior Georgia Viggiano.
Sacred Heart is currently in the process of building the Upper Residential Village, also known as the Upper Quad. According to sacredheart.edu these new residential halls will be open in the spring semester of 2020 and will house more than 900 students.
Sophomore Isabella Viggiano will be living in the Upper Residential Village when the construction is complete.
“I really love the layout of the new Upper Quad and the location is perfect, it is right in the middle of everything. I am excited to be living there because it will be brand new. It is an honor to be the first set of students getting to live in the new dorm” said Viggano.
On Aug 27, the Bobby Valentine Health and Recreation Center celebrated its grand opening. This new facility will offer students more gym space, including a multi-purpose sports court, rock climbing wall, bowling alley, spin studio, golf simulator, and Robek’s juice and smoothie bar.
“When I saw the center for the first time I was shocked. It’s such a beautiful building and the location on campus is perfect. Overall, I think they did an amazing job constructing it and they did it super-fast,” said junior Marc Liquindoli.
Senior Nina Catanzaro feels that the new facilities will change the student experience for the better.
“I think the new additions to campus are contributing greatly to the student experience here at SHU. I was surprised to see how many new buildings we are getting and how fast they are being built. I am sad that I won’t get a chance to experience the new dorms but I think incoming students will have a great experience here living in new modern dorms,” said Catanzaro.
Many students feel that the university has expanded immensely since they first came to Sacred Heart their freshman year.
“Looking at Sacred Heart’s growth as a senior it is insane how much things have changed. We bought GE campus, added two new functioning dorms, with two more being built, a diner, radio station, and a brand new athletic center. I never would have thought that what used to be a commuter school back in the day would have made so many great additions to campus,” said senior Matthew Wielk.
In addition, senior Nikki Ziner also feels that the campus is changing and developing rapidly.
“As a tour guide on campus, I am always telling my story to perspective students. It has been amazing the past three years being able to show the students how in the blink of an eye our campus is changing. I can’t wait to come back after we graduate and see everything done,” said Ziner.
Many students are excited for the future of Sacred Heart University.
“The new buildings going up around campus is so exciting. I can’t wait to look back in years to come to see how far spread Sacred Heart is over Fairfield. It’s going to open up so many new opportunities and student activity life. It is turning into the next big school and still keeps its reputation of being a tight knit community,” said sophomore Gabrielle Gregor.
