Students will be able to hang out in the Harter Union a little more comfortably thanks to the renovations made over the summer.

Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said the renovation process will not be completed until mid-September, but when walking into the Union, students will already notice some of the changes that have been made.

Four areas in the Union were the focus of the upgrade project. The four areas include the lobby, women’s restroom, dining room and the Wildcat Café. The upgrades were made possible by a donation from former chair of the Board of Trustees Susanne Teel. 

Director of Food Services Tanya Sieber said the dining room received a massive paint job over the summer.

Much of the existing cabinets were repainted, along with the dining room walls and ceiling Sieber said they have ordered artwork for the dining room that should be arriving soon.

“The artwork is stunning, it’s beautiful,” Sieber said. “They are all photos taken around Baker’s campus, but are very interestingly artistic.”

The worn out booths in the Café have all been reupholstered and re-sprung and new tables and chairs have been added.

“When you sit down in the booths in the Café, you won’t feel like you are a little kid sitting at the table anymore because the springs have all been replaced,” Sieber said.

In the Union, the update that has received the most attention so far is the new 58-inch flat screen television that has been mounted on the wall. 

“The TV has been so nice to have since a lot of the soccer players will hang out in union while we are waiting to go somewhere else,” sophomore Amanda Smith said. “The Union is a place where everyone spends a lot of time in, so it is nice that it will be more comfortable now.”

Along with the new television in the Union, new carpet and new furniture will eventually be added.

“There will be 13 new chairs, three new couches and two 48-inch ottomans that should arrive in mid-September,” Bailey said.