New parking lot, LER changes among projects

Parking lots, new majors and specialized English classes: Students coming to Kent State in the future will have a lot more to choose from.

The Board of Trustees approved many measures yesterday that could affect the physical look and the academic vision of the university.

In Tri-Towers, plans to create an architecture studio on the second floor are underway, said David Creamer, vice president for administration. The space was used as a dining area but has been vacant in recent years. The estimated $1 million project will begin at the end of the semester.

Students could take advantage of this studio at any time of the day, even running downstairs for food from Rosie’s Diner and Rations, the 24-hour dining hall, Creamer said, noting architecture students often work in the studio late into the night.

Plans also moved forward for the demolition of Terrace Hall and the creation of a parking lot in its spot, Creamer said. The estimated demolition cost is $1.2 million, and the construction cost will be about $1.2 million, as well.

A parking garage would have been too costly, Creamer said, and a surface lot is less expensive and leaves the option for a later building on the site. Work should be completed during fall semester.

Freshmen entering Kent State in the fall 2006 semester will be the first class under the new LER and English requirements.

The LERs are being redefined statewide so students can more easily transfer between colleges and universities, Associate Provost Gayle Ormiston said.

“This change will help keep students who transfer to Kent State on track with their graduation requirements,” Cowan said.

All Kent State students entering this fall will be required to take a laboratory science class and a math or formal logic class, Ormiston said, among other requirements. Current students will not be affected.

Freshmen will also face a new English program, moving the second semester of English to the student’s second year, Provost Paul Gaston said.

“The gain in maturity, the gain in focus will aid the students’ performance in the writing course,” he said.

Students who need additional help will take an extended English course the second half of their freshman year, Gaston said.

Also, students will be able to relate the second year of English to their major, said Jerry Feezel, interim dean for the College of Arts and Sciences.

The university is also examining its doctoral programs, Gaston said. The state is requiring universities to shift their doctoral priorities into programs with strong economic potential, moving funds from some programs into others.

The state will match those reallocated funds, an estimated $180,000 for Kent State, Gaston said. A report will be due March 31 to the Board of Regents. The university will soon create a committee to address these issues.

Contact administration reporter Rachel Abbey at