Maddison Cervantes /Nevada Sagebrush

Nevada Bound students sign a beam that will be built into Peavine Hall, the University of Nevada, Reno’s new residence hall, on Friday, Oct. 15. The event was held to involve prospective students in the history of the university.

By Maddison Cervantes

A few strokes of a metallic silver marker on painted blue steel served as a satisfying end to a Nevada Bound tour last Friday.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s Gateway Plaza was host to a 30-foot beam that will be used in the building of Peavine Hall, the new residence hall currently undergoing construction.

The residence hall will be located on North Sierra Street, just south of Argenta Hall.

Construction began in April 2014, and is estimated to be complete by August 2015. According to the UNR website, Peavine Hall will house nearly 400 undergraduate students within suite style living arrangements, and will complement the university’s social and academic values.

According to UNR President Marc Johnson, this specific beam will be the last to be installed in the roof of the building.

Jerry Marczynski, Associate Vice President of Student Life Services and organizer of the event, stated that the signing of the beam is a symbol intended to involve future students in the UNR campus.

“We [the event coordinators] purposely focused on the incoming students to get them excited about coming here,” Marczynski said.

The Nevada Bound students and their parents were allowed access to the beam first, followed by any current UNR students or faculty that attended the event.

Johnson explained that due to the university’s rapid growth, the necessity for more residence halls has been made apparent.

“More and more students are coming here to finish their degree in four years, so it’s very important that we are able to accommodate our students in this living arrangement,” Johnson said.

During his speech, Johnson emphasized the importance of on-campus living.

“We want to have all of our freshman, as many as possible, living on campus,” Johnson said. “It increases graduation rates, the involvement of our students and activities on campus.”

Each group of Nevada Bound students made its way to the beam and each student printed their name, some with the year they expect to become students at the university.

Incoming UNR student Mason Keeling stated that he finds the beam signing to be a moving experience.

“We’re the only people that will ever get to do this, so I feel pretty lucky,” Keeling said.

Being that his uncle attended UNR before him, Keeling is proud to be both following in his uncle’s footsteps and marking a part of the university’s history.

Nevada Bound guide Nathan Ginn expressed his enthusiasm for the event, and the general program of Nevada Bound.

“It’s a really interactive experience for the students that come to visit,” Ginn said. “That’s what I really like about UNR; the fact that we put on events that involve students in the university as a whole.”

Johnson explained that the signing of the beam is a rare opportunity for students to include themselves in the antiquity of UNR, and encouraged everyone’s participation.

“When we have you [parents and students] sign the beam, although it will be covered by walls, your name will be part of the history of this campus,” Johnson said.

Maddison Cervantes can be reached at mcervantes@sagebrush.unr.edu.