The new Anderson Athletic Center was officially opened Tuesday, August 31 after 15 months of planning and construction.

“We all waited as the project developed,” Athletic Director Steve Fritz said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “We waited with curiosity. We waited with enthusiasm, and certainly with patience. But I can guarantee you. The wait’s well worth it.”

The Tommies faced the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils in St. Paul Wednesday on St. Thomas’ south field. Team captain sophomore Callan Faulkner said the players had high hopes for their first home game.

The St. Thomas community saw its fair share of construction around campus this past summer.

But while Opus Corporation was tearing down buildings and putting up new ones, another type of construction was going on: Coach Glenn Caruso was busy building an improved Tommie football team.

The 20 solar panels on Brady Hall’s roof have been producing energy non-stop after being installed in February. The students who have been involved with the panels from idea to installation are happy with how the panels are working so far.

Students living on campus during the busiest construction summer in St. Thomas history watched as the metal frameworks of new buildings took shape, elevators were modernized, residence halls got exterior makeovers and sidewalks were torn up.

U.S. News & World Report magazine released its “America’s Best Colleges” survey and ranked St. Thomas at No. 124 – an increase of 13 positions from last year’s ranking.

The incoming class of 2014 currently includes 1,522 students and is the largest St. Thomas class ever, which resulted  in a few changes in planning for this year’s summer orientation sessions.

Graduates received their diplomas in an unfamiliar place Saturday. Commencement ceremonies were held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, due to the construction of the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.

Wellness Center Health Educator Birdie Cunningham sat down with TommieMedia to give advice on how to not let the books get the best of student’s this final’s week.

The Mathematics Resource Center reached its 10,000th visitor of the semester last Monday.

Director of the center Brenda Tiefenbruck said that in two years, the number of students signing in to use the MaRC services has doubled.

The softball team held off elimination Sunday with a 6-1 win over Illinois-Wesleyan at the regional tournament in Indianola, Iowa.

Senior Marta Radcliffe threw a complete game and had two RBIs to lead the Tommies. Sophomore Kayla Boward went three-for-four at the plate, tacking on a run and an RBI.

The women’s softball team took a throttling from Linfield College to the tune of 9-1 Saturday at the regional tournament in Indianola, Iowa.

The women’s softball team continued its national tournament run Friday with a 3-2 walk-off win over Illinois-Wesleyan University in Indianola, Iowa.

PULSE presented Pandemonium Friday, May 14 in the lower quad.

This is News in :90 for Friday, May 14, 2010.