Summer break is just about over and we are only a week away from the start of a new semester at the College of Charleston. As students return to campus, they will discover some exciting changes and additions to the school.

Here are the top eight new things on campus this fall:

Rita is Ready

The construction fencing has been removed and the Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center building is now open for business. The first three floors consist of eight classrooms, 51 research labs, 27 teaching labs and plenty of study space. The top floor houses the astronomy lab, control room, astronomy deck and more.  Biology, Physics, Astronomy and some Psychology programs will now be housed in the Hollings Science Center.

Physicians gets a Makeover

There is a new look in Physicians Auditorium. The sloped-floor auditorium with fixed seating is now gone. The new facility is a flat-floored, customized venue with three spaces divided by movable partitions. The main section can seat approximately 350 in movable, assembly-style seating. The three spaces can be configured to provide a multifunctional auditorium with a maximum of 500 seats.

Say Cheese

Tired of taking selfies in front of the same old places?  Grab your friends and discover the temporary CofC art installment by the Stern Student Center. The oversized maroon letters just finished a stint on Rivers Green behind the library. Look for the art installment to make another move on campus later this fall.

Pick a Card

Time for a new Cougar Card?  Now you don’t have to wait in long lines to make that happen. Students can now submit their photos online and have their Cougar Cards pre-printed.

Caffeine Please

Need a Frappuccino but don’t have time to spare? Good News. Dining services has launched mobile ordering at the Starbucks in Addlestone Library.

Hungry?

Acai bowls are now available in a new food stand inside the Stern Center food court. Not near the Stern Center? No problem. A new Provisions on Demand (POD) is now open in the Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center, offering quick, on-the-go food and beverages.

The Bistro will be Back

Ok. It won’t be open at the start of the school year, but City Bistro will be fully renovated and ready to reopen in November. Meal swipes will be accepted at Stern Center, Market 159 and Einstein Brothers’ Bagels while City Bistro is offline.

92 Wentworth Street

Home Sweet Home

There has been a lot of remodeling around campus this summer including:

  • After an extensive renovation, 92 Wentworth Street is reopening as an upperclassmen female housing facility.
  • The Kelly House received new flooring and fresh paint throughout the interior in addition to new common room furniture. The courtyard was renovated to make the space more inviting and functional with built-in grills, a seating wall, a concrete ping-pong table and corn hole boards.
  • Warren Place apartments received new kitchen appliances as well as new common room furniture.
  • Berry Residence Hall and McConnell Residence Hall received new furniture in all lounges.
  • The historic houses received new common room furniture.