The Wayne State College Kanter Student Center and Jitters is getting a major makeover during the upcoming summer to create a more inviting and efficient space for students. The food, along with the overall look, is the main focal point of these renovations.

The director of student activities and the student center, Tiffany Dearstone, said that the main goal is to make the student center a warmer place that students will want to spend their time in. To achieve this, they plan to change the whole layout and aesthetic of the building.

“If you look at the atrium now, there’s nothing warm and inviting about it,” Dearstone said. “So instead the atrium is getting all new gray-type tile and the hallways will be stripped of the wallpaper.”

The walls are going to be covered in a graphic of pictures, taken by Isaac Baker, of students doing various things on campus. Every three to four years, the pictures will be retaken to stay up-to-date with the students on campus at the time.

“This is just a way to celebrate not only our athletes or only our clubs, but just students of all diversity and backgrounds and interests,” Dearstone said.

New furniture will be added to all the lounge areas in the student center, with banners that drop from the ceiling. Dearstone explained that she hopes to be able to get student-created art to be displayed throughout the building.

“When we talk about enhancing the overall student dining experience, you’re going to do that in the lower cafeteria, but have you seen the furniture?” Dearstone said. “We’ve worked out a thing with Chartwells where they’re going to help us by removing all this furniture and help supply new furniture down here as well.”

While the look is changing for the student center, the lower cafeteria is also going to be experiencing changes. There will also be brand new changes made to Jitters in the library.

“Basically, we’re blowing out the area downstairs,” said David McMahan, dean of students and vice president of student affairs. “We’ll come back in with a whole new brand and concept so the whole look and feel of the space will be different.”

Grill Nation in lower is becoming Student Choice, which will be a Bar-B-Que theme to start off with. Each year the students will vote from a list of options as to whether or not they should change the concept to one of the listed concepts. Mondos will be replaced by Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich line.

“Papa John’s pizza will be replaced with an internal branded Chartwells pizza concept called Build,” said Michael Carlson, director of dining services. “It will be a dough made from scratch and will give the students a greater variety of choice and will have similar side items that Papa John’s already has.”

Starbucks will be moving from Jitters into the lower cafeteria and will be facing the dining area with Build instead of away. Carlson said there might be late night or weekend hours where Starbucks and Build will be open themselves for students.

“Upstairs in the dining center, we will be open Monday through Thursday evenings until 9 p.m., and currently we close at 7 p.m.,” Carlson said. “On Saturday and Sunday we will be open continuously between lunch and dinner also instead of the break we currently have. Jitters and Cat’s Corner will have the same hours they do now.”

Upper will become more sensitive to those with allergies or dietary restrictions with the additions of Rooted and G8. Rooted is going to be a hot and cold vegan and vegetarian option, while G8 will have items that are sensitive to the top eight allergens like gluten and peanuts.

“It’s going to be as safe as we can possibly control,” Carlson said. “The products we buy will be free of gluten, our utensils, service wares and that working area we will contain as allergen-sensitive as possible. We also plan to make it tasteful and attractive enough so the entire student body will find it satisfying.”

Renovations will also be taking place in Jitters, with Starbucks and Red Mango being taken out and replaced by two other brands. A bagel shop known as Einstein Bros. Bagels will be added and Caribou Coffee will also be a new addition for drinks.

“We’re moving in multiple stations for using your card as you go into the cafeteria so we can pick up the speed of the lines,” McMahan said. “There’s a new option where you can go online and place your order, and then you go in and show your ID and pick it up.

The meal plans will be changing for next year with the addition of an unlimited meal plan and a bigger block plan. The unlimited option allows you to dine as often and whenever you like with no set amount. A bigger block will include 225 meals with $350 in flex.

A preview event called “Far From Normal” will be held on April 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the student center. The event will provide more information on what the changes to lower will be like. It also gives the opportunity for a walk through of the different foods and brands that will be added to campus.