Exciting campus additions include the FitCourt, bubble tea and the return of Hinman Dining Center
8/26/21 by Lakhsmi Chatterjee and Krishna Patel
Photo provided by Harry Karpen, Photography Editor
The past few days have seen a steady return of students and faculty to Binghamton University. The Spine is once again overflowing with students in between class periods. Since the campus is as close to “normal” as it has ever been, a lot of new freshman and sophomores have yet to set foot on the Brain. Additionally, many juniors and seniors have been taking online classes for over a year. Since we hurriedly packed our belongings and left campus unexpectedly in March 2020, a few things have changed around campus.
Hinman Dining Center
Renovations on the Hinman Dining Center have been underway since 2019. The dining hall is now newly open for patrons this fall. The facility is significantly larger and includes three floors with the dining hall itself, Starbucks, study areas, classrooms, a rooftop terrace, a convenience store and a culinary “makerspace” room intended to provide students interested in exploring the culinary arts with open space and resources to do so. In September, a new Mediterranean restaurant called Garbanzo’s Mediterranean Grill will open on the third floor of the complex. The new dining hall brings an exciting new space for students to explore, especially current seniors who haven’t been to the Hinman Dining Center since their freshman year. Sadly, this means the Starbucks truck will no longer peruse our campus anymore.
The Marketplace
It’s been “out with the old, in with the new” this semester in the Marketplace, with some old favorites returning and new additions coming our way. To start off the list, a new bubble tea place will be replacing Parkway Shakes. Although not open on campus yet, 2nd Heaven Bubble Tea also sells at the Broome County Regional Farmers Market on Upper Front Street in Binghamton every Saturday. Farmer’s Field has also returned and Moghul has been replaced with Royal Indian with almost the same menu available.
FitCourt
Students now have a great space to do their workouts in the great outdoors thanks to the new FitCourt fitness area outside the East Gym. FitCourt features seven training zones for different types of exercise including bodyweight and full-body workouts. For late night workouts, the area will also be lit. The area was built as part of a 2021 campaign by the National Fitness Campaign (NFC), a national organization that partners with cities and schools to build healthy infrastructure.
The Hungry Bearcat
The Hungry Bearcat, located in the Events Center, is a convenience store that is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. since August 24. The Hungry Bearcat is a great place to grab a sandwich, snack or drink in between classes.
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