Living in the Cone Zone

By Jeff Jacobsen
Online Content Manager

UVU is bursting at the seams with a growing student population, earning it the lowest square-feet-per-student ratio in the state.

“We’ve got all these students, but we just don’t have enough space for them,” said Director of Facilities Planning Jim Michaelis.

Michaelis explained that continual efforts are being made to reduce the stress this puts on the facilities. While students take a
break for the holidays in between semesters, the ever-present construction work will continue.

As soon as the Science Building is completed in May, construction will begin on the Student Life Building, which will be roughly 170,000 square feet, and the adjacent parking structure, which will house 450 parking stalls. The two new structures will be funded by student fees and parking revenue, respectively.

Even though these new buildings are not state funded, the state legislature still needs to sign off on the bond required to pay for the construction and maintenance. For this reason, Michaelis is unclear as to the starting date of the next project, which will include a Classroom Building to be constructed north of the library.

“As fast as the legislation will fund buildings for us,” Michaelis said, “we’re building them.”