Last February, the Student Government Association voted in favor of an amphitheater being built on the bayou near Starbucks.

However, as the one year anniversary of SGA’s decision approaches, it appears as if the project has been forgotten. According to Camile Currier, the vice president of Student Affairs, that is not the case.

Currier said that ULM is working closely with an architect to have plans finalized, because the administration hopes to begin preliminary work in March, and possibly sooner if the weather permits.

The amphitheater was first proposed during a housing project 10 years ago, but there was not enough funding to start writing up plans. Ever since then, the administration has been pushing for it to be built. When SGA gave ULM the green light in 2019, the administration was ready to begin planning.

“We have been working for the past few years to get the project going to allow our students another venue to utilize for their events, programs and activities,” Currier said.

Once the amphitheater is complete, all ULM organizations and departments as well as the community will have access to rent the facility for events. Currier said that the student body will have priority over outside renters.

“Although pricing has not been set, we want to make it reasonable and fair for our student groups to be able to utilize the facility,” Currier said.

The amphitheater will have 180 fixed seats along with grass space for attendees to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs if space allows.

The project will be partially funded by the Student Support Fee which accumulates about $1.5 million annually. This money goes toward organizations and services like SGA, the Counseling Center, Student Affairs, Student Services and Career Connections.

The rest of the funding for the amphitheater will come from other sources, and has yet to be decided, according to Bill Graves, the vice president of Business Affairs.

“All of this is still being discussed, including what the total cost will be,” Graves said.

The Hawkeye will publish an update when more details about the funding and construction of the amphitheater have been decided.