The Independent Collegian

Editorial: Out with the old

Our idea of what a perfect student union would be

The Independent Collegian

Editorial Board
April 20, 2016
Filed under Editorials, Opinion

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Be it a break between classes for students or the one place that’s always showcased in tours, the Student Union is the place to go. It is the hub of students, faculty and administration alike. It’s the best place for the daily dose of caffeine and break from work, and to be greeted with the faces and sounds of thousands of people from different departments and walks of university life. In addition to being the social center for the University of Toledo, the Student Union houses student organization offices and administrative offices. Being such an integral part of the university’s social and administrative infrastructure, the building’s organization and aesthetic requirements are sub-par, and do not meet the standard required of such a central university structure. To address this issue, many groups around campus have been discussing the hopes of getting a new student union, and what our perfect UT student union would look like.
Student involvement offices requires visual and physical accessibility. Proper functioning of the different student involvement groups on campus is important, as these groups represent the diversity and cultural enrichment of UT. Their offices are hidden in the narrow corridors in the second floor of the SU, which are accessible only through a dark stairway. Being offices that obviously see a lot of student traffic, it is unacceptable that these offices are so inaccessible and that their personnel have to work from such cooped-up little holes in the wall. Designing a better floor plan so student involvement offices are actually accessible to students is key to our perfect student union. It will not only increase the aesthetic of the building but also serve the purpose of being noticeable enough and within eyesight, as such a traffic-heavy and student-centered office should be.
Improve SU floor plan. Along the same lines, it is important to emphasize the misuse of the space in the SU. The SU holds these huge conference rooms located on the second and third floors, which are once again accessible by only one ramp, and are not within clear sight. The rooms have the capacity for holding conferences for around 300 people, and in the past have been used to hold heavily populated events such as career fairs, research symposiums and new student orientations. However, the organization of the building being as it is, these rooms aren’t in enough view to be used as space for huge social events, and at most times are accessible only through a labyrinth of passages. A better layout of SU definitely needs to be a priority in our new union so that its structures and facilities are fully appreciated and utilized to their full capacity, and no one gets lost while trying to attend a huge conference.
Lounge areas and quality of food options need attention. In addition to improving the visual appeal of the SU, it is important to also have the SU cater to students’ relaxation and comfort. There needs to be more space for lounging and for dining. The seating and lounges at the SU are placed in such a way that people feel like they are sitting on top of each other. Being on Main Campus, SU holds a good percentage of the food options on campus, and it is sad to see what a low variety of food options and low quantity and quality of comfortable seating options are available to enjoy that food. Our perfect student union would include higher quality and more diverse food options, and increase student seating in and around these areas. It would also include more comfortable and easily accessible lounges for students to utilize.

Update interior décor of SU. Being the predominant social, educational and recreational center, the services SU offers should be regarded as a priority. After all, most of the tours of the university involve showcasing the SU as a primary attraction. The uncomfortable and battered couches thrown randomly across the SU, which offer no privacy, and the lack of any meaningful or recognizable photos or drawings or any sort of interior decoration make it a rather dull, mediocre building, being the Student Union in name only. Rocket Hall has murals and the SU, which sees more foot traffic and non-UT people than Rocket Hall, has only decades-old black and white pictures. Even the college colors, blue and gold, or Rocky and Rocksy our mascots, which are supposed to embody the school spirit, are sparsely displayed in any structures in SU. As a solution we could use a statue of Rocky and Rocksy or make changes to the dreary, sadness-creating yellow lights which seem to make us regress in time rather than advance and modernize.
Availability of gender-neutral bathrooms. There is another issue that needs to be addressed in the renovations of the SU, and this is the existence of gender neutral bathrooms. Even a private unisex bathroom, where each stall opens up to a mirror and basin for the individual, makes it more accessible to the existing transgender students as well as making a more space-saving solution. By investing in unisex bathrooms in the SU, UT will consequently be investing in creating a more supportive and inclusive educational community.
SU needs to be reconstructed to have updated interior decoration and better utilization of its existing facilities and services, as well as offer required services. It needs to cater to all students, and make them feel they are a part of an inclusive community, which includes recognizing the needs of the LGBT community as well. The SU needs to be renovated to address both organizational, structural and community-related problems, as well providing a more relaxing and all-encompassing space for the students.

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2 Comments

  • bobbyt2012

    We have something like a $12 million budget shortfall due to enrollment falling short of projections. There have been hiring freezes in order to try to compensate. The University is there to educate people - everything else is secondary. Renovating the Student Union is a surefire way to worsen the budget situation and complicate faculty/staff hiring even further.

    While you could argue that a better student union would attract more students, I have my doubts that it should be at the top of the priority list.

    [Reply]

  • thomas.trimble

    Revisiting – “Out with the old”
    I commend the editorial staff on drawing attention to the needs of your Student Union. You are correct in identifying the SU as “the hub” of the entire campus community. In past years the SU would log well over 10,000 scheduled events annually, most being for student organization uses and all in addition to the casual visitors there to meet friends or have lunch. You are also correct in drawing attention to the SU serving as a central location for student organization offices and administrative offices, although there are administrative offices there that are not directly related to Student Affairs, Student Involvement, or Student Union Administration that should likely be located elsewhere on campus to permit the space to be available to meet the needs/desires of the enrolled students. One example would be in the spaces around what is now Rocky’s Pub and Grill, which could have been all student organization space, possibly with 24hr access, after the bookstore was moved to the Gateway corner of the campus.
    It is correct to suggest that navigating the space within the SU can be a challenge for a new visitor, but not all services and facilities can be on the first floor just inside the front door. It is also accurate that all public space within the SU is “accessible” and I am not sure what “dark stairway” might have been used to check-out the organization offices.
    The current configuration of many new student unions includes the creation of large open circulation spaces in the center of the structure like OU and OSU, some with skylights above, and offices around the perimeter. Also in those atrium configurations large ballrooms and meeting spaces are along a hallway out of the main building traffic path. Our SU at The University of Toledo happens to have a large open circulation space with several large ramps connecting each of the primary floors and providing a path for large numbers of students/visitors/guests to attend events in these rooms. There is no doubt that there was no commitment to create back-of-house space to support functions in the three large rooms of the Student Union, a definite shortcoming that needs corrected along with many operational issues that are not immediately apparent to students.
    The nature of functions within the SU frequently create the need to repurpose existing lounge space to become function space or support space for activities in the building. It is likely that space that was office space (student organization or administrative) or function space could be transformed into dedicated lounge space similar to the Commuter Lounge, however as space is being created this is a trade-off that will be addressed. Your points regarding gender-neutral rest rooms are also a recent development that will require some architectural design and a need for additional space within the SU.
    Bringing the need to make a substantial upgrade to the existing facility and the likely need to add space to the footprint of the Student Union is a discussion that is long overdue and will need a long-term commitment to keep it in the forefront of student initiated improvements. As the effort is made to build support for these great ideas to improve your Student Union, it must be clearly understood that as students at The University of Toledo, this is your facility, built by and supported by your Student General Fee. I am reasonably confident that there is no rainy-day reserve of funds being held back to commit to these improvements. The students today and the students for the next 10+ years will need to decide how Student General Fee dollars will be increased or redirected and committed to this goal. Even though I am retired from my career in the Student Union, this facility and what it contributes to your UT experience remains a high priority for me personally and I am willing to share history and help develop ideas with any of those charged with creating this plan for the future. Student initiative will have to make this happen.

    Thomas Trimble, Retired Assoc. Director of Student Unions
    04/22/2016

    [Reply]

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Editorial: Out with the old