New student event center on the way

By Tom Sullivan

Though the university has been relatively construction-free since the completion of the Sullivan Aquatic Center, the sound of hammers and bulldozers will soon fill the air once again.

The construction of a new student center is set to begin in the spring. The building should be ready for use in December of this year, said Joe Sugg, assistant vice president of university operations.

Jenny Moody, former president of Associated Students and current assistant director in the Alumni Office, said the idea for the building started several years ago.

"A lot of students came to me, and they were looking for places to have events, but there weren't really places they could book," she said. "So we were trying to find a way to change that."

Moody said the administration was receptive to the idea.

"We went to Jeanne (Rosenberger), and she, right away, was really helpful," she said. "Every step of the way she made sure that the students were involved in all the meetings, even down to the small details."

Vice Provost for Student Life Jeanne Rosenberger, along with Sugg, spearheaded the effort to gain a space on campus that could be used mainly for students.

"It's been on the radar for a while," Rosenberger said.

She said the men's and women's soccer teams were also in need of new facilities and locker rooms.

The plan for the site includes a two-story student building and a single-story athletic building, with the athletic building adjacent to some of the other athletic facilities, such as the soccer field.

The student building will also be joined with a plaza and a grove of trees. There will be office spaces for the Center for Student Leadership, Santa Clara Community Action Program, AS and the Activities Programming Board on the second floor of the student center.

The building will be about 6,000 square feet, but is designed specifically for these groups, which makes it more space efficient, Sugg said.

"We're still working on the scheduling and the schedule policy," Rosenberger said. "During the school year and on evenings and weekends the students will be the priority."

Scheduling for the space in the building will be operated by Ad Astra, the university's scheduling system, Rosenberger said.

"It will be accessible to students and others during the school year, but we're still in the beginning stages as to figuring out when the building will open, close, etc," she said.

The priority would be to use the building for student events, Rosenberger said. There have been questions about use of the facility by groups that the university does not recognize, like fraternities and sororities.

"A number of students who are involved in Greek life have come forward and asked would they have an opportunity to use the facilities," Rosenberger said. "We're not there yet. We're building the facility to support student events that we can't otherwise support because we don't currently have the space to do so."

Rosenberger said students can help administrators decide about including organizations that are not recognized by the university.

"There's a facilities and operation committee in the student senate, and we will probably ask them to help us make those decisions," she said.

Sugg said the building should exceed environmental standards set by the state of California.

"What we are aiming for the new student center to be is 50 percent better than those standards," said Sugg. "One of the unique features that we have in this new building regarding efficiency is that there will be three glass chimneys, which help with ventilation and cut way down on energy needed for air conditioning."

He said it will be the only building of its kind at Santa Clara.

"It's going to be unique because there is no other building like it on campus for students," Sugg said. "You'll have a place to schedule events for students that's 6,000 square feet, high ceilings, glass on three sides, doors that will open that will allow events to go outdoors as well."

Sugg said he thought the student inclusion in the process was extraordinary.

"The students have been directly involved in this process, the student body President Rachel Manfre, the leader of SCCAP, the leader of the Activities Programming Board and some other student leaders have all been directly involved in planning meetings for the building," he said. "It's great for this building to respond to students' needs, and we tried to do that by getting student leadership involved."

He said there was a need for a building like this on campus.

"There are a lot of student activities that don't have anywhere to go or practice in now, such as the spirit team, the dance team, the pep band. They don't have this type of venue yet," Sugg said.

Moody reiterated those comments. "I just want to make sure to get the chance to get the point across that both Jeanne and Joe really listened to the students and made sure that what we were really looking for was a part of the building," she said. "And I know that they are still doing that to this point, and that's something that is really appreciated by the students."

Chris Freeburg, student senate chair, said he appreciates that students were so involved.

"I'm really happy with how the planning for the building, as far as space is concerned, has gone," he said.

Contact Tom Sullivan at tsullivan@scu.edu.