The Student Affairs Committee is discussing a possible redesign of the student organization complex. This complex, located in the lower atrium of the Student Union houses eight student organization offices.
According to the director of student affairs, Noelle Downey, one of the reasons for the change is, “We want to make sure that those in student orgs have an area they can go where they can meet, collaborate and work together in a cooperative and open environment. Currently, the org space is utilized primarily for quiet study, which, while it is important of course, is not the purpose of the space…the purpose of the org space is to encourage student org collaboration and community.”
“We want all students to feel more comfortable coming to visit and interact with all the members of the student orgs. Whether it’s to see if one of the organizations may be a good fit for their talents and interests or to express concern about something they’re witnessing on campus that they think needs to be addressed, student organizations exist to benefit students,” Downey continued.
Downey and the Student Affairs Committee are currently creating blueprints for the space and designing an update.
Although the ideas are not set in stone yet, Downey said of the change, “There will definitely be improvements to the org space. Given the budget situation at the university currently, there’s obviously limited funding for projects like this, so the improvements will reflect that—they’ll be noticeable and definitely beneficial to students, but they won’t come anywhere near breaking the bank. You can expect to see some changes in signage and steps being taken to the make the space more user-friendly for students, especially those in student orgs.”
Currently some of the offices the org space houses are the Student Government Association, University Activities Board, Greek Affairs Council, Black Student Union, Rainbow Alliance, and also the commuter lounge.
The Student Affairs Committee hopes to complete the redesign by late summer or fall semester due to budget constraints.
“I will still be doing my best to make sure the plan is ready to be set in motion by the next Director of Student Affairs as soon as funds are available,” Downey said.
