Rogers State University will formally celebrate the opening of its new $5 million Chapman Dining Hall with a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 23. The event is free and open to the public.
The dedication will be held on the lawn immediately north of the Chapman Dining Hall, located on the north side of campus near Blue Starr Drive.
The 17,300-square-foot, two-story facility features an open dining space that can serve up to 1,000 students per meal.
Light refreshments and commemorative items will be available immediately following the ribbon cutting until about 11:15 a.m. so that dining staff can prepare for the lunch service, which starts at 11:30 a.m.
The Chapman Dining Hall opened in August prior to the start of the fall semester. It has quickly turned into a popular venue for students, faculty and staff to enjoy meals and informally interact. Completion of the Chapman Dining Center marked the first time in recent years that the university offered a comprehensive campus dining facility.
The dining hall was named to honor the H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust, which provided the lead gift for the facility.
In addition to food services capabilities, the building includes a basement/storm shelter that can provide protection for all campus residents during inclement weather. A natural gas generator, funded by ONEOK Inc., provides electrical service to the building during power outages in order to maintain uninterrupted service to students.
All RSU students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the event.
The parking lots immediately adjacent to the dining hall will be available Tuesday morning for guest parking.
An RSU campus map may be found at www.rsu.edu/campusmap.