ASG makes suggestions for student union

BY PATRICK DEIGNAN
SEPT. 20, 2007

Members of Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) want Miami’s new student union to cater primarily to students.

ASG offered that advice at its Tuesday meeting as architects Doug Shuck and Doug Lieb of WTW Architecture, the firm selected to design the student union, fielded questions and took notes about what needs to be included in the building.

Interestingly, Doug Lieb is a graduate of Miami’s architecture program. He said his experiences at Miami have given him insight on what the university needs in its student union.

“The university needs a place where students can come and be involved,” Lieb said.

ASG’s main suggestion was that the union be built for students rather than administrative offices and banquet events, its current focus.

“Almost half of the Shriver Center is not meant for students,” said senator John McNabb. “It’d be important for the new student center to be focused on students.”

Shriver contains a food court, food store, medium-sized lounges and a pool room. However, other areas of the building include administrative offices, catering services, and meeting rooms.

“The student union needs to be a place where students can go on Saturday night instead of the bars uptown,” said ASG Treasurer Brenden Buholzer.

Sen. Mike Scott agreed that more entertainment will be necessary for the new student union.

“I’d love to see a bowling alley,” Scott said.

Other concerns included Miami’s need for a medium-sized auditorium.

“Right now we only have the 400-person Hall Auditorium and the 10,000-person Millett Arena,” said Vice President of Campus Activities Laura Walaszek. “It would look silly to have a 600-person event in Millett. A 1,500- to 2,000-person auditorium would be ideal.”

Shuck and Lieb agreed, noting that they are capable of building auditoriums that are flexible and dividable to accommodate students’ needs.

One of the most important features of the new student union still up for debate is its location. WTW and the university have not yet discussed where the building will be located.

“There’s no better place for a student center than where all students walk through every day,” Shuck said.

WTW designed Penn State University’s student union which, according to Shuck, used to be in a low foot-traffic area of campus.

“Only about 9,000 students passed through it every day,” Shuck said. “People didn’t want to be there.”

Now, nearly 40,000 Penn State students make use of the university’s new student union on a daily basis. This is the hope for Miami’s new student union.

Secretary for Off Campus Affairs Jen House pointed out that the location must have parking facilities nearby.

“Parking around our student center is outrageous,” House said. “Students need to have a place to park, especially at night for safety reasons.”

While convenient parking is something to be desired, Lieb pointed out that Miami wants to preserve its lush, green campus.

“Miami is very good at maintaining green space,” Lieb said. “Integrating the building into that environment is going to be essential.”

Besides keeping the land green, Shuck insisted that the building must also help keep the air clean.

“We need to be good stewards of our planet,” Shuck said. “We need to make sure that the building materials and the running of the building are as energy efficient as possible.”

One of ASG’s key concerns is that a new student union be well-organized with the student organization offices in plain sight. They believe this will keep students more connected with their student government.

Secretary for Diversity Affairs Rachel Cahn proposed that similar organizations should be grouped together.

“Miami has over 50 diversity organizations,” Cahn said. “We need a place where we can centralize them.”

Sen. Mike Scott added that Greek government offices and ASG should be centrally located so students can take advantage of what they have to offer.

Shuck quickly pointed out that this style of organization has worked for some of WTW’s other clients.

“At the University of Colorado, the ASG offices are located on the first floor right in sight of the students,” Shuck said.

Secretary for Academic Affairs Coalition Bethany Bowyer added that other student services could be located in the new student center.

“It makes sense to have the career center and student advising in the center,” Bowyer said.

As Miami moves forward with a new student union, advances in technology will also be necessary. Right now, Shriver is not equipped with a computer lab, though a few computers do line the upper-level hallway.

“Technology will be a key piece in this building,” Shuck said. “We want as much technology as possible.”

Certainly the idea of a new student union with the latest technology has created some buzz among students.

“I think it’s something they want to talk about,” said Student Body President Jens Sutmöller. “It’s exciting and the designs look gorgeous.”

But some members of ASG are concerned that a new student center could send future tuition costs skyrocketing.

“We are one of the most expensive public schools, so we want it to be cost effective,” Wood said.

According to Lieb, the budget is still unknown because the project is in its preliminary stages.

“First we need to determine the size of the building and then we’ll decide what the budget will look like,” Lieb said.

Some methods other schools have used to fight costs are allowing retailers to rent space in their student unions. Shuck said he has seen everything from convenience stores to optical stores bringing in revenue for the schools.

“I can imagine Miami students having a Louis Vuitton,” said junior Sen. Isaac Reynolds.

Shuck pointed out that Miami students still have a chance to give their input on the project through an online survey.

“It’s an opportunity for students who are not involved in focus groups to get involved,” Shuck said.

WTW, which is based in Pittsburgh, has designed student unions for Penn State University, DePaul University, Ohio University and many others.

Miami’s student union is not expected to be completed until at least 2011, long after most current ASG members will have left Miami.

That does not mean today’s students shouldn’t get involved, Sutmöller said.

“I think it’s important that all students have input because without it how will they know how to accommodate students’ needs?”