When Baylor students get back on campus after the Christmas break and walk in the lobby of the McLane Student Life Center, they will notice a big change.

The plywood and plastic surrounding the SLC’s climbing rock is there to protect a working construction site. The climbing rock, which has been there since the building opened in 1999, is being demolished and will be replaced with a new one.

According to Don Bagby, director of facilities management, the new, improved climbing rock will be 52 feet tall (two feet taller than the old one) and will have a “real rock” finish, which will make it appear and “feel” like a natural rock surface.

Bagby said one reason the climbing rock needed to be replaced is that its surface was worn and no longer met standards. He added, “There were also some new safety recommendations that we were able to address with the new installation.”

Construction of the new rock should begin the first week of February and be completed by March 22.