YEAR ONE: Main Campus Student Center marks first anniversary
It seems like yesterday that dignitaries from East Carolina University and across the state gathered to cut the ribbon opening the Main Campus Student Center on 10th Street, but it has now been a full year since that momentous occasion.
The building, a 220,000-square-foot multipurpose facility, is LEED certified and received Best Overall Design in North Carolina from Business North Carolina Magazine and a 2019 Award for Excellence in Structural Engineering from the Structural Engineers Association of North Carolina. It pairs cutting-edge technology like electrochromatic glass windows and radiant heating with nods to Pirate traditions — the ECU creed appearing on the main staircase and the ballroom floor featuring the outline of eastern North Carolina.
Outside, large letters spelling ECU declare the building’s purpose and pride — and have already become a popular spot for photos, especially during graduation, orientation and campus tours. The landscaping, made up largely of native species and watered in part with collected rainwater from an underground cistern, was designed to minimize the site’s environmental impact.
But it’s inside the building where students have found themselves at home, quickly incorporating the facility into the steady routines of campus life as if it had been there all along. The 14,000-square-foot ballroom stays busy, either as one huge event space or divided into three. Smaller multipurpose rooms are used for group study sessions and student organization meetings.
And with thousands of hungry students coming and going, it should go without saying that the dining spots, including Raising Cane’s, 1907 Grill, Au Bon Pain, Panda Express, Starbucks and The Confectionary, are in steady demand.