VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) _ Vincennes University is pushing ahead with plans for a $4.35 million student center that will link three other buildings, creating a mall-like complex in the heart of the campus.

School President Dick Helton says construction is slated to last up to months on the southwestern Indiana campus, but the project start date hasn't been set.

The new student union will link the current Physical Education Complex, the Aquatic Center and the Donald G. Bell Student Recreation Center.

Helton tells the Vincennes Sun-Commercial (http://bit.ly/VW32am ) that the complete project will “connect all of the area's most-popular activities'' and give students a space where they can feel comfortable socializing, getting a bite to eat and enjoy recreational opportunities.

The school's trustees have approved four separate contracts for the new building.