The Student Center, a hub for all to gather and socialize on campus, has entered the new year with new changes of its own.
The building has recently undergone renovations to construct a new information desk and office space for Student Center staff and Center for Student Involvement staff.
Ben Davis, director of The Student Center and Center for Student Involvement, said the old desk’s location was a major factor in constructing a new one.
“Because of the curvature of that room [the main lobby], you don’t actually see the information desk [when entering from the main doors],” Davis said. “It’s hidden to your left.”
He said when you approach the desk from the Hub entrance, you are coming up from behind it, which decreases its functionality as well. The new desk is positioned straight ahead from the main entrance, which makes it easy to find and navigate towards.
The new desk will also be more accessible to people with mobility needs due to the build being lower, according to Davis.
“If you are somebody who’s in a wheelchair, you’ll be able to come up and greet employees at chair height at the new desk,” he said. “Whereas right now, the old desk sits relatively high.”
Directly behind the desk lies the new office space, which replaced old Undergraduate Student Government and student organization offices. Before this renovation, Student Center staff were spread out in five different locations, and now they’re consolidated in one spot, Davis said.
Student Center employee Taylor Jansky, a sophomore biology pre-medicine major, said she’s excited for her fellow coworkers to be in one singular space.
“I like being able to talk to my coworkers, and it’s very hard to do because some of them are upstairs,” Jansky said. “My boss is also upstairs, so it’s really hard to communicate with everyone.”
Jansky said she really appreciates the look and layout of the new desk and office space.
“It’s actually so nice,” she said. “I think it’s gonna be really great.”
In total, the renovations cost $1,050,000. The renovations were entirely self-funded by Student Center revenue because the building is a campus auxiliary, meaning it doesn’t receive state or university funding for capital costs.
The bulk of the construction process began in August and ended in December, with staff moving into the new office space on Jan. 2. The desk itself is not yet completed, as a surface piece is missing for the desktop, but should be completed and functional by the end of spring break, according to Davis.
In the short term, Davis plans to use the former desk space to expand soft and low top seating areas. In the long term, he wants students to put forth their opinions on how the space should be used.
“We’re pretty open to see what the space lends itself to,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of ideas, and we’ve heard a lot of feedback from students as to what they’d like to see.”
As for possible future changes to The Student Center, Davis said nothing is off the table.
“The Student Center should be dynamic in the way that we should be seeing little bits and pieces changing here and there,” he said. “It should be feeling like things are evolving with the student’s needs.”
John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
