Students will have to wait a little longer for a Student Union Building as construction is not due to finish for a few more months.
The $25 million SUB project has been the heart of campus construction for the past two years and has already had its completion date pushed back from August to September 2002. Now it has been pushed back again and this time the completion date is indefinite.
SUB director Walter Miller said he wouldn't have a final date until the summer's end.
"It won't be ready by the fall semester," Miller said. "There's a lot of work to be done on each floor and we're not there yet."
The SUB construction was delayed four months at the start of the project, hindering its process, but Miller said the difficulties are the nature of construction work.
He said the remaining work includes enclosing the building so workers can begin sealing the structure; mechanical work such as dry wall taping; electrical wiring; and framing work on all three levels of the SUB.
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Miller added that after the building is finished, employees will need to be trained due to installation of new equipment and systems.
"Part of the project was a complete infrastructure replacement," he said.
Incoming freshmen are getting to take a peek at the new SUB as part of a new tour in the LOBOrientation program. Miller said he talked to student leaders earlier in the spring semester to learn what needed to be done to better inform students about the SUB.
"We had to create the interest and the excitement of what was taking place," Miller said.
He said overall reaction from the orientation groups has been good despite seeing the building in its rough stage.
LOBOrientation participants had positive reactions touring the site.
"I like how they give out hard hats, keychains and are getting people pumped up about the SUB," incoming freshman Ambrosia Ortiz said.
She added that it will be "great because of the employment opportunities since the University is expanding so much."
Incoming freshman Craig Vineyard said he thought the SUB construction was good because it would help make life better for students.
More student groups will benefit from the new SUB due to increased space for offices. Several addtional groups signed up for the new space last semester.
Miller said the signup for space went extremely well; with 49 organizations obtaining office space compared to the original SUB, which housed only 15 to 18 organizations.
The groups will move into an large area of the basement, which will feature a main entrance, seating and group meeting areas and offices for the Associated Students of UNM, the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Student Activities Center.
For more information on the Student Union Building, visit its Web site at www.sub.unm.edu. For questions, e-mail sub@unm.edu or call 277-2331.
Laura Mann contributed to this report.
