Students taking refuge in the campus center seeking a place to study may have noticed their sanctuary has shrunk with the emergence of new offices on the ground floor.
“The campus center is a convenient study location because it’s more central on campus than the library,” said Catherine Gruffi ’06. “With the new offices, it’s harder to find a remote location for studying.”
Many study groups use the campus center because it is a place where they can both study and discuss, unlike the library which demands quiet in most of its main study areas.
“My business group and I haven’t experienced a problem with finding a place to study, but I’ve seen it where other people have looked for spots and found it difficult,” said Geoff Astle ’06.
The new offices were spurred by the Career Planning Center’s decision to move closer to students and the heart of campus. The new location is more convenient than the old location of Dolan, said Michael Dalton, director of the Career Planning Center.
The Career Planning Center has already held several events in the Barone Campus Center, all of which have had generated positive reactions from students, according to Dalton.
“I have noticed when we were down there [in the campus center] first semester there is a very different feeling with students on their turf,” said Dalton. “In Dolan, students have to make appointments, come all the way up, and it’s less spontaneous.”
Dalton is also excited about unveiling and completely utilizing the new office next fall. “The new office will really take off next semester because we have been back and forth between moving plans. The move is also right in the middle of recruitment, but I’m looking forward to being neighbors,” he said.
Despite the decrease in study space, most students are pleased with the Career Planning Center’s new location.
“The new location is convenient and much more assessable to students,” said Kerri Conn ’06.
The need for confidential interview rooms placed the Career Planning Center’s office behind closed walls. However, the new offices with glass doors went to FUSA.
“FUSA moved offices because the Career Planning Center wanted to move from Dolan to the campus center,” said Teig Lynster ’05, Sergeant of Arms for FUSA Senate. “Now people can see the FUSA office from the upper deck by the mail room, because we don’t require the confidentiality of the Career Planning Center.”
FUSA is in the process of reorganizing its offices within the ample new space.
“As far as plans for the new office, they have the multi-purpose room, which is going to be the center for all clubs and parts of the Board of Governors instead of those cubicles they used to have,” said Lynster. “The rest of FUSA is still setting up at this time, so they haven’t completely worked out plans yet.”
Due to campaigning and elections, both FUSA President Kevin Neubauer ’05 and VP of Programming Jillian Grant ’05 did not respond to requests for interview.
The transition of the Career Planning Center and FUSA to their new offices has not been completely smooth. The Writing Center, currently located in Donnarumma, was also hoping for a more central location on campus as it has outgrown its existing space.
“I don’t know anything about the new FUSA offices, but I agree that it makes sense for them to have adequate office space in the campus center,” said Dr. Elizabeth Boquet, director of the Writing Center. Although Boquet is unaware of the process that determined who received the new space in the campus center, she believes a clear line is being drawn between academics and student services.
“My concern is not at all with the student services available in the campus center,” she said. “Rather, my concern is with what I consider an arbitrary distinction between student activities and academic work.”
Boquet voices concern over the message that is being sent out to students by this move. “Student-related activities were given space in the campus center; academic-related activities were not,” she said. “This is a troubling message.”
Leave a Reply