Vanguard

Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News

Renovations on the University of South Alabama's Bookstore are on the way, and the USA community should expect them to start this fall and to be completely finished fall 2009 or spring 2010.
Due to the construction of the new Nursing and Allied Health Building at the corner of University Blvd. and North Drive, which is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2009, South Alabama has decided it would be best to move the Health Sciences Bookstore, located on Springhill Avenue, to the main campus to consolidate the two bookstores. Students will not be forced to drive over to Springhill Avenue to get their books.
A completely new layout should be expected, according to Brian Catlin, director of the University bookstores.
"In many ways we are re-inventing the Bookstore as we know it," Catlin said.
Students, as well as others, should expect a brand-new atmosphere in the Bookstore when renovations are complete.
"The orientation of the Bookstore will entirely change," Catlin said.
In addition to the newly renovated bookstore, students and faculty will also have to get used to a new location for the USA post office.
In order to make room for the incoming Health Sciences Bookstore and other renovations on the USA Bookstore, the post office will be relocated to the current location of the game room in the Student Center, where it will share space with the game room.
Renovation is already underway to make the game room inhabitable for both the post office's employees and the students who use the game room.
The gamers will inhabit the left side of the room, while the post office employees will take the right.
To prevent the post office employees from going "postal" on the gamers due to the volume of the video games, an insulating wall will be built in between the two areas, limiting the sound.
The post office will still be available after hours to check your mail as the post office is now. A door will be constructed on the Student Center's west side to allow people to do so. The manager of the post office will also have an office in the newly constructed post office.
"Where is it now, there is not even an office where the manager can sit down and talk to his employees in private," said Butch Emmons, assistant to the vice president for student affairs.
All parties involved appear to have no problem with the renovations of the bookstore and game room.
"It's going to be really nice when we get through," Emmons said.
When speaking with Catlin, he appeared to have only the best in mind about the future of the bookstore, and seemed to be really excited about what is to come.
"In the end, we are going to end up with a very nice and new bookstore that we can all be proud of," Catlin said.
The post office employees were also very excited about the renovations.
"Hopefully it will be a cleaner place to work, because this is one nasty place," said a post office employee.
"This school deserves a better bookstore, a better looking bookstore, one that is more appealing to the eye, and that is what they are going to get," Catlin said.

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