Students arriving on campus for the new semester were greeted with the sight of two major renovations: Roberts Hall, a sophomore residence hall, and the Graham Building, the University’s newest structural addition.

The Graham Building, attached to the Kenneth Langone Athletics and Recreation Center (KLARC), hosts the Health and Wellness Center as well as new practice spaces and locker rooms for the varsity wrestling team.

“The Graham Building provides a campus-wide resource that consolidates health and wellness services in one central, convenient location,” director of Athletics and Recreation John Hardt said.

The Health and Wellness Center has combined Bucknell Student Health (BSH) with the Counseling & Student Development Center (CSDC) in a new, larger facility on the first floor of the Graham Building, easily accessible to all students, with 10 examination rooms, a conference room, and more private waiting areas.

Hardt also noted the “immediate positive impact” the building’s state-of-the-art training center has had for student-athletes so far, calling it “one of the finest of its kind in the nation.”

The wrestling facilities are hosted on the second floor of the Graham Building, featuring practice space, a lounge, team locker room, training room, and weight room.

The new space is a source of pride and community for the team.

“The locker room is a huge upgrade from last year since [the team] was in public locker rooms and we have so much more space now,” Frank Satriale ’19 said.

The Graham Building was made possible through a $7 million gift from wrestling alumni Bill Graham ’62, which will also fund maintenance of the new space.

“It was very important to Bill Graham that the facility would have a wide-reaching impact across the Bucknell community, and we can’t thank him enough for all that he has done for Bucknell University and Bison Athletics through the years,” Hardt said.

Not only wrestlers benefit from the new spaces; the Health Center’s move to the athletic center helps the entire student body with its updated facilities and centralized location. The move especially benefits student-athletes that spend much of their time in KLARC.

“When athletes are injured or ill, it’s difficult to find time in our schedules to actually get to the health center for proper treatment. As a swimmer, the [health center] is right next door and easily accessible,” Mary Weinstein ’19 said.

Roberts Hall, which went under construction in spring 2016 for $4.7 million dollar renovations, is open to sophomores this semester. The building offers apartment-style triples, a new and exciting option for underclassmen.

“Living in Roberts is pretty much like living in a hotel. Coming from Vedder, apartment living is a big change,” Terry Wang ’19 said. 

“Roberts is by far the best living option on campus for sophomores. The building is amazing and I like living a on a quad of all sophomores,” Trevor Kunz ’19 said.