The third floor of the Howe Center will be undergoing a renovation from October 4 to December 23 of this year, the Stevens Division of Facilities and Campus Operations recently announced. The renovation will allow for the new permanent location of the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP).
According to an email announcement sent to all Stevens students, work will occur between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and occasionally outside those hours. Stevens has advised that the construction area will be inaccessible for the duration of the project and that construction will create “moderate noise disruptions.” The Operations Department said that it intends to minimize the effect of these disruptions and that areas of the third floor not undergoing renovation will remain accessible.
STEP was created in 1968 by a group of Stevens undergraduates and faculty members to “expand access to engineering and science for minorities,” according to the Stevens webpage for the program. It currently aims to “help increase the pool of underrepresented minorities and low income students within the STEM fields.” STEP students participate in the Bridge Summer Program before their first year, which aims to introduce them to technical curricula and Stevens’s academic rigor, as well as allow them to adjust to college life and form relationships with staff and peers. Later, they can access resources like peer tutoring, counseling and advising, and personal development opportunities.
The makeover will include the addition of new private office spaces, a reception area, a pantry, and a student workspace. Stevens has cited the accommodation of university growth as the reason for the STEP Department’s move from its old location on the seventh floor of Howe to the new space. The third floor’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure will also be receiving improvements.
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