Beer & Tapas in Lone Mountain’s Koret Lodge Opening
Beer, wine, and tapas filled the air on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the long anticipated opening of the Koret Lodge on Lone Mountain. The dining structure, which has been completed for a year, boasts urban fare and floor-to-ceiling views of the San Francisco skyline.
For the past year, the space had been used for private events and overflow seating for the Lone Mountain dining hall. On the first day of this academic year, however, the University made good on August 2021 promise to offer an on-campus space for students 21 or older to enjoy alcoholic beverages.
According to signage posted in the Lodge, students must have a state issued ID checked via electronic scanner to be served. Students receive a wrist band indicating their age and are limited to two drinks on the meal plan, while three is the maximum anyone can be served. Underage students are also welcome to purchase a variety of tapas, the most popular being the flatbread pizza.
Kyle Matthew Martinez, a fourth-year marketing major, was one of the students under 21 to attend the grand opening. While he enjoyed his meal, he didn’t think it was worth the price.“I’ve seen a lot of other cheaper pizzerias around the city,” he said. However, he is planning on returning for the drinks once he turns 21 later this semester. “I’m really looking forward to hanging out here with my friends, instead of having to go off campus all the time.”
Koret Lodge is open from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on Lone Mountain.
Megan Robertson is the Foghorn’s news editor and a third-year media studies and performing arts and social justice double major. She can be reached at mrrobertson2@dons.usfca.edu.
Campus Gathering Space Becomes Upended by Construction
Welch Field and Gleeson Plaza have been upended by construction during the past summer. Students arrived last week to find that lower campus green spaces have been fenced off and excavated to install a new “steamline”— a pipeline that transports steam and that is used to heat water — to Kalmanovitz Hall and St. Ignatius church.
The construction project began in mid-July, and is expected to conclude in October making it difficult for incoming students to find their way around campus to buildings, such as the Gleeson Library. The halt in campus life that the construction caused to the community space has many questioning its timing and necessity.
In an interview with the Foghorn, Chanda Briggs, an Outreach Librarian at Gleeson, emphasized her concern for students’ ability to access the library. At the recent resource fair, Dons Fest, Briggs noted that students could not find the library. She found Gleeson to be “cut-off” from the rest of campus.
Yet as construction continues, hope for the campus’ future remains. While trying to find his way around on his first day on-campus, Subbu Subramanian, a computer science professor wishes the construction wasn’t there. “Then this foggy night would look even more pretty,” he said. However, he noted, “I’m glad that there is activity here, and things are getting better.”
For first-year biology major Jayleen Dang, “the construction is what it is. The campus is still beautiful. It’s just a grassy lawn, there’s one by the science building. There’s a lot to do here, and a lot of places to study. I’m not bothered by it.”
Signage on construction sites assures that it will be completed in two months.
Nia Ratliff is a third-year design major and a deputy writer for the Foghorn. They can be reached at mnratliff@dons.usfca.edu.
Construction Begins on New Malloy Athletics Practice Facility
A brand new athletic space, the Malloy Athletics Practice Facility, will be opening on campus in August of 2023. According to Michael London, Vice President of USF Facilities, the project’s foundations are now under construction. A press release sent out earlier this month stated that the construction is expected to last between 12 to 14 months.
The project is an “important and key last piece in creating the USF Events Center which includes the Pavilion, War Memorial Gym and the Sobrato Center,” London said. He hopes that this complex will “allow USF to hold a variety of events at the same time without impairing the comfort and utility in each of the spaces.”
At present, only one space exists for practice and competition for the men’s and women’s basketball as well as the women’s volleyball team, London said. “The addition of the Pavillion will substantially relieve that congestion.”
Construction of the addition, which occupies about 15,500 square ft., is currently underway over the Hayes-Healy surface parking lot, near the Gilson and Hayes-Healy residence halls, which are primarily occupied by freshmen.
Julia Vakhutinskiy, a first-year entrepreneurship major, said, “As someone who isn’t a student athlete and probably won’t get much use out of this new building, the construction, for me, is just sort of an inconvenience.”
London asserts that all students and faculty will be able to enjoy the facilities, “The Pavillion can be used for meetings, lectures, student events all subject to scheduling.” He explained that currently, the main floor of the War Memorial Gym provides these spaces.
In the meantime, there are pedestrian pathways and signage directing students around the construction as the community awaits the unveiling of the new building.
Jordan DelFiugo is a second-year psychology major and a general assignment reporter for the Foghorn. She can be reached at jgdelfiugo@dons.usfca.edu
Loyola Village Renovations
Since 2002, Loyola Village, located on the north side of Lone Mountain, has offered 136 units of apartment-style living to faculty and students 21 and over. Though it is one of the relatively newer buildings on campus, the two buildings that constitute the complex were facing a significant need of restoration primarily concerning the exterior of the building.
Starting in May 2022 and wrapping up just this past week, consistent work was executed to improve the building’s conditions. Arguably the most apparent of the changes is the exterior paint color of the buildings. Where the building was once a vibrant, eye-catching golden-yellow color, the paint has been modernized to a beige, now more seamlessly coordinating with the main campus building design.
Landscaping was another target of these cosmetic and structural updates, with the rebuilding of planter boxes at the Anza street entrance, as well as the removal and transplantation of palm trees at this same location. Less noticeable modifications include the repairs of exterior lighting, the replacement of gutters, the removal and reinstallation of clay roof tile, and the installation of awnings.
Although no physical reconstruction was required to make this switch, Loyola Village now offers single occupancy studio units, or large single rooms in 3-bedroom apartments.
Accompanying these developments is an approximate 2.5% increase in housing prices for Loyola Village since the 2021-2022 academic year.
Hannah Yoder is a third-year international studies major and the scene deputy for the Foghorn. She can be reached at hgyoder2@dons.usfca.edu.
USF Gas Leak – What’s that Smell?
A gas leak on lower campus left students without heat or warm water for approximately eight hours on Wednesday, Aug 17. The leak was found near McClaren Center according to an emergency response email from the University. It was not substantial enough to trigger an evacuation, but students were advised to stay indoors. First-year architecture major Darleen Fernadiaz was in her dorm room when she was alerted to the leak. She recalled speaking with her mother: “My mom had called me super worried and was asking if I could smell the gas,” she said.
First-year design major Ryan Villicana wasn’t on campus when the alert was sent but confirmed that the rest of her night “wasn’t too bad.”
“I couldn’t take a shower,” said Villicana, but otherwise claimed that she was not adversely affected.
Due to the leak, dining service at the Market Café was delayed and students were encouraged to dine at the Open Door Cafe (formerly called the Lone Mountain Cafe) dining hall instead.
According to an email statement released from Vice President of Student Living Julie Orio and Vice President of Facilities Management Mike London, a PG&E team was dispatched to campus around 4 a.m. to address the leak. The team worked throughout the night to fix the leak and gas was successfully restored to lower campus around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, the following day.
Taleah Johnson is a fourth-year sociology major and a general assignment reporter for the Foghorn. She can be reached at tjohnson1@dons.usfca.edu.
Dedications and Blessings at the McCarthy Center
On Thursday, Aug. 25, members of the USF community gathered for the dedication of former Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy’s desk, and a blessing of the new McCarthy Center mural, “Reimagining a Just World.”
Current California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalaki was present for the dedication, which marks 20 years since the McCarthy Center was founded.
“It’s always important to remember our history and the people who laid that foundation,” said Kounalaki to the Foghorn. “I’m very proud to be here to honor [McCarthy’s] memory and the incredible legacy that this center means for California.”
The extremely large desk, which has sat several Lt. Govs. since McCarthy, will be on display in the Masonic Building. “He was the kind of leader who couldn’t fit on a regular desk,” said Kounalaki.
The mural, which was first unveiled last year, was a collaboration between artists from Precita Eyes Muralists and USF students. Precita Eyes artist Fransisco Franco said the stress of the pandemic and the political and social upheaval of the past year helped influence the mural’s design.
“I thought that was great to be able to turn these emotions that were negative at first into something colorful that was light hearted but still got our ideas and our views across,” said Franco.
Eight dancers from Mission District based Danza Azteca Xitlali, gathered to perform a blessing for the mural and led audience members in a “friendship dance” through the building.
Fillmore Jazz Ambassador musician Charles Unger ended the evening with a saxophone performance of “Fly Me to the Moon.”
USF community members are invited to view the mural, “Reimagining a Just World” and McCarthy’s desk in the Masonic Building.
Savannah Dewberry is a fourth-year media studies major and the Foghorn’s chief copy editor. She can be reached at skdewberry@dons.usfca.edu.
