After the initial demolition of the old campus center in Oct. 2015, the Connelly Campus Center couldn’t be done fast enough. Students had to endure a year of eating in the makeshift gym foyer, gone lunch room. However, the ending result was worth it.The new campus center boasts a size twice the original. Thanks to two lines for food, instead of one long line, it takes half the time to buy lunch.

By comparing prices back in time online, the prices of food are about the same. The prices of snacks, cookies and drinks stayed the same, ranging from $1 to $1.50 respectively. However, the new student center saw a price increase to the main “A La Carte Meals” and sandwiches. They are now a dollar more expensive. Yet, the price increase is deceiving, with sides and being called a “meal” one might be getting more food than in the old student center.

The new building moves the Administration and Counseling offices, as well as the Multicultural or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office above the lunchroom, along with meeting spaces and conference rooms. Linda McGowan
enjoys her new attendance office space in the new building. “I haven’t seen a major change to my day to day job. But, I just get so much more involvement with students.”

The most anticipated feature of the new Campus Center, the new Lion’s Den, is still in the works. A volunteer parent working in the Den said, “The new Den is quite a bit smaller than the old one in the A-Building. However, it is still
a work in progress. New features of the Lion’s Den will include a revamped check out system where students will use their Student ID/ASB cards to pay for the store’s slightly more limited selection.” The Den also saw a rise in prices. The Lion’s Den is just about finished, only missing the remedial, shelves and what not. “The Den is open, but not yet fully functional.”

Activities Director Kevin Meines sees the new building as “a transforming space, drastically changing the school climate, and is a unifying force on campus.”

Bellarmine president, Robert Modarelli, says the he enjoys “watching how students have started to make the new building their own.” He says that watching the construction and the opening has been “an extremely rewarding process.”

The cost of the new building has been an extremely prevalent issue concerning the newest campus addition. According to the Bellarmine website, the total cost of the building is $12.5 million. Funding from the building came from three different avenues: Advanced/ Lead gifts (44 percent) , Public campaign (24 percent, and external financings (32 percent).An additional $500,000 needs to be raised by this winter, to reach the total $8 million capital campaign fundraising total.

Nowadays, the Campus Center is buzzing with activity, packed with students during first and second lunches. In the evenings, the cheer team practices there. Teacher Jim Dempsey’s Leadership class and ASB utilize the new meeting room and workshop spaces as well.