OSU-Tulsa students see improvements as they return to campus

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Students returning to Oklahoma State University-Tulsa this week will be welcomed with several new additions to campus.

This summer, OSU-Tulsa renovated several facilities to improve and expand academic areas and add to the campus's beauty and welcoming atmosphere. The projects include a renovated computer lab, a new campus eatery, the addition of a parking lot and a clearing and clean-up project on the hill west of the Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center.

OSU-Tulsa’s main computer lab, located on the second floor of Main Hall, is currently being renovated, and improvements should be completed by late September. The lab was reconfigured to create more space for computers, increasing the number of workstations from 40 to approximately 65. In addition, windows were added to the lab to create a brighter, more open feel.

OSU-Tulsa students, faculty, staff and campus visitors now have a new place to enjoy lunch, gourmet coffee and other sweet treats. Mo Joe's Coffee Cafe and Foodery, which is located next to Subway in North Hall, offers a varied menu, including breakfast sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, spicy hot wings, chicken strips and an assortment of fried vegetables.

Mo Joe’s also serves a full menu of hot, iced or frozen Java Dave's specialty drinks, such as chai latte, cappuccino, mocha, gourmet cocoa and tea. The cafe is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Returning students will also see a new parking lot immediately west of the OSU-Tulsa Auditorium. With an additional 94 parking spaces for the campus, the parking lot provides increased parking availability, convenience and less traffic congestion. The new lot can be accessed from John Hope Franklin Blvd.

Finally, to enhance aesthetics and further beautify the campus entrance, OSU-Tulsa is removing underbrush and clearing the hillside adjacent to the Helmerich ATRC. University officials plan to landscape the hill modestly in time for the Helmerich Research Center's opening in November.