As warm weather and clear skies welcome you back after summer vacation, returning students might recognize a difference in the campus.

Morgan State officials have been busy this summer, revamping the institution. We have a rundown of the major changes to be aware of as you acclimate yourself to campus and reunite with friends.

Remember to Use The MSUSpokeman and the MSU Spokesman app for campus news.

CAMPUS DEVELOPMENTS 

New Student Services Building  

It is hard to miss the new $88 million student service facility. Major progress has been made to Calvin and Tina Tyler Hall in just a few months.

The 139,000–square–foot technologically advanced building, which is set to open in 2020, will be an energy–efficient facility and will participate in the reduction of water and electric usage.

The building will house approximately 20 student support departments, many of which currently reside in the historic Montebello Building.

Hughes Stadium renovation

Adjacent from the future student service building, Hughes Memorial Stadium had a $2.5 million summer makeover including a new turf and an eight-lane-all-weather running track.

Renovation on the football field began May 28 and was completed earlier this month.

However, the track remains under construction, according to Morgan football players who have used the field this summer for training camp.

Proposed additional on-campus housing

Morgan State has experienced another record-breaking year of incoming freshmen as the institution welcomed more than 1,000 new students this academic school year.

The influx of students has pushed many to off–campus housing alternatives.

The lack of student housing has raised safety concerns, especially after the death of Morgan business major, Manuel Luis.

The Board of Regents approved new on–campus housing as announced by President David Wilson in an email addressed to the Morgan community by on Aug. 15.

“Because more students are choosing Morgan as their first choice of colleges, and because Morgan is experiencing historic retention rates never witnessed in the history of the university, additional on-campus housing is essential,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the new complex will open in the fall of 2022 and will be located adjacent to the Thurgood Marshall Apartment Complex.

Wilson urged the community to attend the town hall meeting on September 9 at 6 p.m. where he will discuss the long–term plan.

Morgan’s new app

Morgan State launched an official app to aid in the supply of the latest information including campus news and alerts and features assistance in admission, athletics, BearTransit, dining and more. 

The self titled app is available for download in the App Store and Google Play Store.

The university’s app also helps students find Wēpa printing kiosks, the cloud-based printing stations that were introduced in the spring.

Students will be allotted $25 in printing credit—an increase from the $5 students were originally given—with each page starting at 12 cents.

The new printing system allows users to print from a lab, smartphone, tablet, USB, personal laptop or cloud storage.

However, students are responsible for their printing fees after the credit has been used. Each station accepts BEARcard funds, PayPal, Venmo, debit card, credit card or virtual funds loaded to a Wēpa account.

Canvas replaces Blackboard

As students acclimate themselves to new online systems, it’s time to say goodbye to an old friend—Blackboard, as it has been replaced by Canvas, Morgan’s new learning management system.

Similar to Blackboard, Canvas is easily accessible by clicking on the MYMSU or Quicklinks from the Morgan website or by accessing canvas directly at https://morganstate.instructure.com.

Students can also download the “Canvas” app at the Apple Store and Google Play Store.