Groovy UV just got a little more hip
The University of Vermont opens a new student center

Cameron Dexter | staff editor
cdexter@smcvt.edu

Sushi, burritos, a bank and a pub. What else could a college student ask for? These are just a few of the features found in the new Davis Student Center at the University of Vermont (UVM).

UVM's new student center, still under construction. Cameron Dexter, photo

The center was named after Dudley H. Davis, a UVM graduate of 1943 who donated $4.6 million of the $61 million needed to complete the structure, says Kate Strotmeyer, marketing coordinator for the center.

The building provides students with adequate space for the Student Government Association and UVM clubs. It has a student living room with a fireplace and pool tables, a ballroom, a copy shop, and ample space for artist expositions, guest speakers, and concerts, Strotmeyer says.

“I think it’s great,” UVM senior Megan Minus says. “UVM has such a big campus, and people are so spread out, I like having somewhere to go where I know other UVM kids will be.”

The jolly green giant

The Davis Center was built with the intent of leaving the smallest environmental footprint possible, Strotmeyer says.

The Carrigan building, a dairy science center, stood on the lot before the Davis Center was built. To avoid purchasing new materials, builders used 94 percent of the building's material weight to build the Davis Center. In the end, 50 percent of the Davis Center's construction was waste that had been reused or recycled, Strotmeyer says.

UVM created a planning board called the Davis Center Advisory Committee comprised of faculty, students and staff to help shape various administrative, pragmatic and operational aspects of the center, according to the commitee's mission statement.

To keep the Davis Center sustainable the communittee made sure that as many materials as possible were purchased within a 500- mile radius of UVM. As a result, 65 percent of the building materials were purchased in this radius, Strotmeyer says.

It was built in accordance with the building regulations of the United States Green Council, and received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation.

Students enjoy the spacious center. Cameron Dexter, photo

LEED is a council that gives builders the tools they needto construct an environmentally friendly building and become LEED certified, Strotmeyer says.

LEED is based on a checklist that buildings must adhere to during the building process. The Davis Center will become the first silver-rated (measurement of LEED certification) student center in the United States, Strotmeyer says.

The Davis Center Advisory Committee also has a dedication to social justice. It plans to have a diverse group of artists and performers, lectures and discussions held on the fourth floor, Strotmeyer says.

A tunnel which runs under Main Street from main campus to the Davis Center has been fixed with a 20 foot chalkboard dedicated specifically for students who want to voice their opinions and ideas about social justice.

Events for everyone

The Davis Center ballroom, known as the Grand Maple Ballroom, had its first event Sept. 23 when students and community members to a Devendra Banhart concert.

“It’s for the students,” Minus says, “but it’s also for the Burlington community.”

A unique store in the Davis Center is the student-run Growing Vermont. The store focuses on Vermont-made products, faculty sponsor Michael Moser says.

“We just took the ball and went with it,” he says.

The students were in charge of submitting the plan and fund-raising the money to open the store, Moser says. Students pay rent and one employee to keep the store running, while receiving credit for working and operating the store.

“The university administration planned this building to be a focal point for UVM,” Moser says. “It’s designed to be a service center.”