By Annie Lewine

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the IGC building has been scheduled for the morning of May 16. The ceremony should be similar to the groundbreaking for the new Macalester Athletic and Recreation Center, and a variety of people – trustees, students, faculty, administration and others who will ceremoniously put shovels into the ground at the site of the new IGC, said Laurie Hamre, vice president for student affairs.Construction was originally planned to start some time during the spring semester, but the start date for construction on the new building was pushed back in order to allow more time for fundraising, said David Wheaton, vice president for administration and finance.

At this point $4.5 million has been raised toward the new center, said Thomas Bonner, vice president for advancement. Over 50 percent of the total cost of $7 million has been raised so far, and, Bonner said, ideally $5.5 million will be raised by groundbreaking in May.

“For the past couple months we have been focused on the MARC with much success,” he said. “The total for that project stands at $22 million.