For months now students have seen the construction on Westside Hall across from the Student Union. In addition to maneuvering the fenced in area and losing some parking spaces, students may ask what benefits will come of all this? In short, this building is good news for all students who will attend UNCW this fall. The renovated building is designed to streamline all student services into one building. “Currently, these services are spread throughout the campus. Now, most of the academic and personal support systems will be in one centralized building on campus,” said Vice Chancellor Pat Leonard. “Also, Westside Hall is centrally located in the campus adjacent to other student support areas in the Union. All student services will be at the center of campus and easily accessible.” The idea originated with Jim Dragna, associate vice chancellor for Student Development, who has been working on the project for five years now. “This is designed to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all student services, to have everything under one roof,” he said. Dragna believes that this will serve not only as a prototype, but as an innovation, for other universities. Dragna describes the new Westside Hall as a place that will assist students on a trajectory not only for graduation but for career choices as well. “It will be a marriage of technology and human resources to help identify what services are available to students while attending UNCW,” he said. “The Hall will help students in their developmental, social and decision making skills.” The new building will also be an applied research center. A Director of Life Assessment will track students’ growth to assess what makes them more successful. This research will assess what students have gained at the university and what has made them unique by attending here. In addition to Health and Human Services, the new Westside Hall will house General College Services, International Programs, Academic Support and Academic and Personal and Physical Development. “Professionals will cross consult with one another and refer students to other professionals within Westside Hall depending on each students concerns,” Dragna said. It will also serve as a place for students to obtain general information for their educational direction. Technology will be available for students to map their progress at UNCW and contact career advising. “There will be navigational touch maps and touch screens for services in the building. The building will be like an educational ‘mall’ where from one room to the next there will be student services from which to choose,” Dragna said. The new Westside Hall opens in August for the fall semester. For more information, go to www.uncwil.edu/ba/projmap/westside.html.