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[Becca Starr/The Daily Pennsylvanian] SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney (right) addresses reporters after the strike announcement.

Come January, Penn students may find themselves taking classes in the newly renovated Fisher-Bennett Hall. Expected to be completed in December, Fisher-Bennett Hall will house the English Department offices, various classrooms, lecture halls and music-rehearsal spaces. School of Arts and Sciences Vice Dean Ramin Sedehi said students can expect "state of the art classrooms, new windows and considerably [lower] noise levels" in the building. "Fisher-Bennett Hall ... showcases what we can do in a historic building," Sedehi said. "I think the undergraduates are going to find [it] a very exciting place." In addition to the new spaces for both students and faculty, a garden was put in the back of the completely renovated building. Sedehi said that the building will admit a "tremendous amount of light." In the renovation, a skylight was discovered over the main staircase which had been covered in the 1950s due to leakage. The project will be finished on schedule, having cost a total of $23 million. A portion of the funds was given by alumnus Richard Fisher. The name of the building was officially changed about six months ago after Fisher's gift was finalized. Sedehi could not disclose the exact amount of Fisher's contribution. McNeil Center The McNeil Center for Early American Studies is set to be completed in two to three weeks, with a dedication ceremony scheduled for December. Although the projected date of completion was October, the opening is still considered to be on time. "Being within a few months of a date is considered on schedule in construction," Sedehi said. He described the building as having "a combination of classical architecture and modern elements." The inside of the building will pay "great [attention] to the period of study in the furniture, walls and moldings," he said. The project cost a total of $5.2 million. The occupants of the building will be moving in by November or December. Skirkanich Hall Skirkanich Hall, the newest addition to the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is scheduled to open on April 16 with a June 16 dedication. The concrete work on the building has been completed and focus has shifted to the interior, Dean of Engineering Eduardo Glandt said. "It's a mad house inside," he said. "You can't walk in because people will walk all over you, which is wonderful." Work is currently being done on the electricity and plumbing of the building. However, Glandt is especially excited for the completion of the exterior. "It will be one of the most stunning buildings on campus and in Philadelphia," he said, describing the moss-green brick that will cover the exterior. "It will not be mistaken for any other building on campus, which I love," he said. The project cost a total of $42.2 million, with a gift of $10 million from the family of University Trustee Peter Skirkanich. Lynch Labs The Carolyn Hoff Lynch Laboratories, the new home of Penn's life-science departments, is slightly behind schedule, Sedehi said. The building is expected to be completed in early spring. The building was scheduled to be completed by this fall. The project will cost an estimated $62 million. Vet School Since receiving a $10 million donation from Wharton alumnus Vernon Hill and his wife Shirley, the project has seen no notable changes, School of Veterinary Medicine spokeswoman Gail Luciani said. The $70.7 million project is expected to be completed by next fall.

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