After months of renovations, the construction in the cafeteria was finally completed at the start of this school year.
Now, the Student Government Association has turned its attention to the Carl Hansen Student Center, the next potential reconstruction site. Since the Student Government Association’s purpose is to represent the interests of the student body, it’s members have created an ad-hoc committee to gather ideas from the students regarding changes to the Student Center.
The idea for the ad-hoc committee began with a motion made by SGA member Jonathan Kroll. He and other SGA members recognized that since the cafeteria has just been redone, the Student Center is the natural next step in updating Quinnipiac University’s facilities. The committee determined that the Student Center’s reconstruction is a priority that should be looked into and acted upon by school officials, as a result of the growing student population and changing student needs.
Kroll suggested that the committee be formed in order to research different ways to renovate or recreate the student center in a way that would best facilitate the needs of the student body. Melissa Dudra, president of the SGA, approved the motion for the committee. Thus, the ad-hoc committee was created.
There are currently six members in the ad-hoc committee, all of whom are SGA members. Right now, the committee is in its beginning stages. The members are in the initial stages of research and have been gathering ideas and opinions from the student body on how to reconstruct the Student Center.
According to Kroll, thus far, the committee has gathered several plausible ideas for the Student Center’s renovation. One possible design is to construct an addition onto the building that would extend toward the faculty parking lot, thus allowing more room for both new and existing facilities. Another suggestion is to build a third level onto the building where more facilities could be added. A large office center for the campus organizations in place of the individual organization offices currently located on the second floor is another possibility. Some students have also suggested that Alumni Hall be made more inviting.
Mainly, students who have made suggestions so far have expressed the need for a larger and more organized Student Center to accommodate the growing student population on campus, Kroll said. The students also believe that this area should serve as a place outside of the cafeteria where students can socialize and interact with one another. Many students have vocalized the need to renovate the post office and bookstore areas, key components of the Student Center.
Once the suggestions have been gathered, compiled and organized, the ad-hoc committee will submit a proposal to the Board of Trustees explicating the necessity of this renovation. The proposal will be based on the ideas suggested by members of the student body.
The committee is still looking for ideas and help from the student body. Anyone who has an opinion on what can be done to change the Carl Hansen Student Center to better serve the students can either e-mail Jon Kroll at [email protected], or attend a committee meeting. The meetings are held on Sunday evenings in School of Business 213 at 5 p.m. All who have suggestions are welcome to attend. There is also an upcoming meeting on Oct. 25 at the same time and location, at which the committee will be compiling the information that has been acquired thus far.