When move-in day arrives Aug. 22, thousands of MSU students will flock back to campus, inundating highways and crowding Grand River Avenue once again.

On the same day, the first students in the Residential College in Arts & Humanities will arrive at the front of Snyder and Phillips halls - buildings that haven't been without construction cones and detour signs in front of the buildings for more than a year.

Though the view from Bogue Street resembles the nostalgia and antiquity present throughout much of MSU's campus, take one step inside to feel the breath of fresh air that has been pumped into the complex.

The two dorms - which are now connected by the "new addition" - have been renovated with new furniture, bathrooms and a dining facility called "The Gallery."

The Residential College in Arts & Humanities, which will be completed internally by January, will have several unique aspects, such as a multipurpose room, multiple workshops and modular classrooms.

Living at the Res College

The hallways of Snyder Hall smelled of new carpet Tuesday, as student workers were hauling furniture into dorm rooms, preparing for the coming chaotic weeks.

The rooms resemble many others on campus, with the exception of the new furniture piled within - new cherry-colored wood desks, lofts and dresser drawers.

While the rooms look familiar, the community bathrooms are what administrative assistant Carol Cole raves about.

"I think they're fantastic," Cole said, laughing. "These are not the community bathrooms I remember."

The bathrooms are completely new - fresh tile, lockers for each room on the floor, a garbage disposal and a kiosk-style sink for added privacy.

"This residence hall was the first to fill up, if I'm not mistaken," said Stephen Esquith, acting dean of the college.

Not your average dorm food

It's all about options at the new dining facility located in the complex, which will service Snyder, Phillips, Mason and Abbot halls.

Students will be able to choose meals from multiple "action stations," ranging in variety from international cuisine to dessert to comfort food to pizza and burgers.

"What the students experience in their daily lives outside MSU is more (of) this retail-feel style of service," said Bruce Haskell, associate director of University Housing.

The cafeteria looks like a food court at a mall and is largely lit by massive windows that give the room an open, fresh feel.

The six "action stations" will focus on presentation and the customer, Haskell said. They are as follows:

• Ciao!: A pizza-by-the-slice and sub sandwich station, which has an oven to cook fresh-baked bread, much like Subway. Sandwiches will be made to order, and at least three different varieties of pizza will be available each day.

• Bliss: A dessert station that will serve both hard-packed and soft-serve ice cream, cookies baked at the station and what Haskell called the future signature item of Bliss - bread pudding.

• The Berg: A self-serve salad bar with the capability to make hot entree salads such as a chicken or shrimp Caesar salad, Haskell said. Creatively named and designed, the station is paneled in an icy-blue color to resemble an iceberg.

• Latitudes: This is expected to be a fairly popular destination at the facility, Haskell said, because of the variety of food that will be served there. It is the international station, with foods from around the world such as pasta or stir-fry, he said. It also is equipped to cook food for up to 16 people at once.

• New Traditions: Described by Haskell as "new spins on the old comfort food." Instead of serving a piece of turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, they could possibly carve a piece of turkey from the carving station, put it on a piece of hearth-cooked bread and serve it with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.

• Brimstone Grille: The burger station, with Certified Angus Beef, Haskell said, adding there will be rotating sandwiches such as chicken Caesar wraps, pitas and gyros.

"This is going to be more focused on the customer - us providing the food to you - the self-serve ability of it is diminishing because we want to plate it and present it to you," Haskell said. "That's going to be a challenge, but we feel we are prepared and ready to do it."

Crowds are expected to be larger than normal for the first month, said "The Gallery" dining services manager Kurt Kwiatkowski.

"There's a lot of buzz out there," Kwiatkowski said. "It's just like opening up a new restaurant - it's the new place."

The building blocks

Within feet of the dorm rooms where students in the Residential College in Arts & Humanities will stay is the wing that will house the college itself.

The skeleton of the college's building is standing with unpainted walls and chalky sawdust settling around. But the frame is there - the beginning of what will become classrooms, workshops and offices.

One room in particular stands out as the workings of a theater - what Esquith called a "multipurpose room" that will seat more than 200 people, and will be equipped with a projection screen, audio equipment for enhancing acoustics, a grand piano and a movable dance floor for theater troupes, he said.

"Who knows what kinds of noises will come out of this place?" Esquith said. "This is really - dare I say it - the jewel in the crown."

The multipurpose room is in the terrace level of the building, along with two of the workshops - the creative workshop and the language and new media workshop.

The creative workshop will be a requirement for students in the college, and it will allow them to focus on creative projects such as book art projects - visual, artistic productions of books - or topography projects, among others.

"It's big enough to handle 30 people at tables at any one time, but that would be a little chaotic. Our creative workshops are relatively small like all of our classes," Esquith said, adding that the space will be shared with studio art classes.

The language and new media center is unique because it goes beyond what basic language labs and writing help centers do, he said. The center could function in a variety of ways, with technology available for the Internet and to view foreign language TV stations. They may even have the opportunity to consult with native speakers and have small language groups, Esquith said.

"One of the provisions of the college is for all students to become proficient in a language other than their native language," he said.

One floor above, which has sunlight streaming in from the abundance of windows, more classrooms and administrative offices are held. While the classrooms are empty, there is a vision for what will be there in January, and it doesn't look like a typical classroom.

Esquith described them as "modular," in which couches and chairs will be placed to make group work more accessible and productive.

"Oftentimes, students will be asked to work in small discussion groups and work groups, and it's not a good thing to have the chairs locked down," Esquith said.

The beginning days

When the doors of Snyder and Phillips halls open to students, much more awaits them than just the new building. Esquith said the students will take part in a formal orientation in order to better acquaint themselves and faculty.

"It's been exciting to meet with them separately," Esquith said. "So giving us the chance to bring them together and watching them get to know each other and discover their interests - common interests as well as questions they might have - will be fun."

Sarah Harbison can be reached at harbiso9@msu.edu.