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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Haskell Indian Nations University students and staff were greeted this fall semester with an updated dining hall and new dormitory furniture as part of nearly $4 million worth of improvements to campus facilities.
About $2.9 million from U.S. Department of Education Title III funds for student retention efforts was specifically used for technology, allowing all residence halls to now offer Internet access in the rooms for the first time, The Lawrence Journal-World (http://bit.ly/1Uzau8l ) reported.
More than $800,000 in federal funding went toward the new furniture and flooring in the dorms and in the dining center, Curtis Hall, which now boasts a shiny dark-wood laminate floor, purple booths, new tables and chairs emblazoned with the Haskell Indian mascot.
Workers also are putting the finishing touches on a new 75-student lecture classroom in Parker Hall that's expected to be completed this month.
Haskell is the only federally run four-year university in the country and is required to go through often lengthy federal processes to modify buildings and secure funding for projects. Many of this summer's projects at the school have been in the planning stages for several years.
"The procurement process can be a little bit slow in the government," said Stephen Prue, executive assistant to the president. "We're seeing a lot of the projects we've been working on finally come to fruition."
Meanwhile, the school is completing a batch of needed maintenance projects. They include installing a new heating and cooling system in the Stidham Union, which will be closed until spring for the work.
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Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com
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