HAMMOND - The Southeastern Lions are gearing up for their first day of school and the campus is making a lot of changes including on-campus dining, renovations to D. Vickers Hall, and even welcoming dining robots.

For the first time since 2019, Southeastern has reached capacity in its residence halls. This year, the university is expecting more than 13,000 students to enroll at SLU.

"This is affirming us that students are back for the campus experience and the direct engagement with our faculty, athletics, and extracurriculars," said President of SLU William Wainwright.

"We also have a significant population of commuters who drive onto campus each day and it's important that we understand their needs which is why this fall, we're offering the first commuter meal plan to assist them."

The Student Government Association also plans to make some changes to make a safe, all-inclusive space for students. A few things they plan to implement are introducing a town hall, fully funding period products on the main campus, gender-inclusive housing, maintaining and possibly growing scholarships, and ensuring campus safety.

"Our goals are to focus on our students, and student experiences to make sure they have all the tools for success that they need. Also, to ensure our faculty and staff have what they need to be successful," said President Wainwright. "We have incredible depth and talent within our faculty and staff. We have a lot of dynamic opportunities through research, innovative programs of study, looking at niche markets to continue to grow our university, and at the end of the day, honing in on our mission: the educational cultural development of our region."

Aside from making restaurant changes and robots, the campus will re-open its pool inside the REC center and debut a new gaming lounge.

Renovations to D. Vickers Hall, which was damaged by Hurricane Ida, are expected to be completed in late 2024. It will also feature a new broadcast media center that will be added on the library side of the building and will extend out to SGA Drive.