The Rat is back.
The newly redesigned student activities center opened this week at UM. The Rathskeller has been the home to student hangouts and happy hours, which originally opened in 1973 and then closed in 2011 for renovations.
The new three-story activities center will feature lakefront retail shops, a ballroom, meeting rooms, a media center, offices, suites, lounges and outdoor patios.
The 119,368-suare-foot building is located next to Lake Osceola, on the same location of the previous Rat.
The new student activities center cost $46.5 million and was funded by a combination of student fees, the university, contributions and a $300 student self-assessed yearly fee, according to The Miami Herald.
“This was a 10-year project and was the vision of President Shalala in 2003 to build a brand new student center on the lake and to tear down the Rat and to place a new Rat inside the building,” said Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs who spoke to The Miami Herald.
Photo Credit: University of Miami