The maze currently known as the ASUI office on the third floor of the Idaho Commons will get a new look this winter.
The ASUI Senate passed a bill sponsored by Senator Allie Fuller providing for structural changes and updates to the current ASUI offices.
“I’m really excited about (the re-model),” said Juan Corona, ASUI vice president. “I think it’s something that the ASUI office needs for us to be able to accommodate our student organizations.”
The offices haven’t been updated in over a decade and are outdated and poorly organized for student interaction, Corona said.
“Students aren’t the same as they were 11 years ago,” said Samantha Perez, ASUI president. “They don’t work in cubicles. They need space to spread out and share ideas. It’s time for a change.”
ASUI members intend to open up the space and make it more inviting to student organizations, as well as individuals who need a space to meet or simply hang out.
“We’re going to be knocking down walls, putting in glass. Making the space open and available to students,” Perez said.
In addition to structural changes, updated furniture and storage space for student organizations will be added to make the offices a place where all students feel welcome. The structural changes are estimated to cost $40,000, with another $40,000 allocated for furnishings and storage.
The money for the project will come from student fees already paid to ASUI, as well as a fund that has accumulated during the last three years from the salaries of several vacant positions.
“We saw this money and immediately started brainstorming ways to invest in the students,” Perez said.
The offices only have enough space for about eight student organizations to store supplies or project materials, but with the re-model, updated offices will include enough storage space to accommodate 40 to 50 student organizations.
“We really want to be a resource for students. A place where student orgs can come to hang out, meet, work on projects, store supplies, that sort of thing,” Perez said.
In a survey of student organizations administered by ASUI, most organizations said they do not feel welcome in the current ASUI offices, but would use the space if it was more accessible.
“The way the office is set up now, it’s really not inviting. We want an area where students feel welcome,” Corona said. “We have a couch and TV up there now that aren’t being used. That is there for students and we want it to be used.”
Corona said students do not have to be executive members or ASUI members to utilize the office.
One of the goals Corona and Perez hope to achieve by the re-model is the development of a space where students can interact with ASUI members and see the work that is being done, but also a place where they feel welcome. ASUI members currently spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week in the office, and in many cases even more.
“Right now, I think people are intimidated when they walk in. It’s not a very welcoming environment,” Corona said. “We hope the re-model will change that.”
Students with questions or input about the re-model contact Corona at [email protected].