The installation of cable television wiring and renovations at the campus' 18 residence halls will keep Residence Life busy during the summer months.

The Department of Residence Life is installing cable television in its halls this summer at a cost of $800,000, according to Jim Van Arsdel, director of the department.

Van Arsdel said about half of the money for the cable comes from last year's renovation budget, and half is from this year's budget of $2 million.

Basic cable service will be available in the fall at no charge to students. The fees for non-pay channels will be absorbed into the Residence Life budget, Van Arsdel said. HBO, Showtime and other pay channels will be available for an extra charge.

Van Ardel said Residence Life is still in negotiations with Tucson Cablevision to decide exactly what channels will be pay channels and what the rate of payment will be. Residence Life will also administrate its own channel to keep students informed witho ut paperwork.

Residence Life wants to complete most of the renovations before the fall semester, Van Arsdel said. This is because workers need to be free to move in and out of rooms and some projects are noisy and intrusive.

This summer, renovation of the Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall, 910 E. Fifth St., is also in the works.

A 65-station computer lab will be added to the hall's first floor, and all 16 study lounges will be renovated.

The space for the computer lab is being created by Residence Life, and the Honors Center will provide the computers, Van Arsdel said.

The study lounges will be renovated to include TV lounges, individual and group study space, an art studio and a music room.

Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall, 610 N. Highland Ave., will also undergo extensive renovations to its common rooms.

"We're defining space differently for different purposes," Van Ardsel said. That renovation includes enlarging windows and other changes meant to take "some space that hasn't really been usable, and making it very usable."

Another big change in Graham-Greenlee is the installation of fire sprinklers. Sprinklers are also being installed in the Maricopa Residence Hall, 1031 E. North Campus Drive.

The sprinkler systems are being installed at the request of the state fire marshal, Van Arsdel said.

"Our goal is to be one of the best housing systems in the country," he said.

Residence Life also plans to redevelop the Highland Avenue area by the summer of 2000, Van Arsdel said. The expansion of

Apache-Santa Cruz, 1420 E. Fifth St., as well as the possibility of two new halls on the west side of Highland Avenue to replace the Babcock and Hopi Lodge residence halls,are also planned.