Class may have been out for summer, but the ring of hammers and the roar of bulldozers meant campus was anything but quiet. Just ask members of the Admissions Office, deployed to the Bistro, student activities offices and even Gatke Hall to make way for a 900-square-foot addition to the WISH building (below). The renovation will create new work space so existing offices can be converted to a lounge/seating area for admissions staff to meet with prospective students and families.

The first phase of renovation for soccer facilities (bottom right) includes new lighting, relandscaping, and leveling the field of play — literally. Grading will correct a three-foot drop from the southeast to northwest corners of the field. The grass will be replaced with the same artificial turf now used at McCulloch Stadium, allowing year-round use for the soccer team, intramurals, club sports and general recreation.

Trench-digging that started along Winter Street will continue along State, 12th and Bellevue as WITS encircles the Willamette campus with new conduit to allow for upgraded network and voice communications technology (top right). This “futureproofing” will help prevent outages and enable WITS to bring other facilities online.

By far the biggest summertime renovation is Waller Hall (center right). The $1.1 million facelift will include exterior refinishing, new windows (except the stained glass of Cone Chapel), and new roof, gutters and downspouts. The cupola will be completely restored, with new walkways, supports, railings and a new copper roof. But Bearcats past and present have no need to mourn the loss of tradition. The cupola’s interior, replete with years of signatures and drawings, will be preserved.