Author: Yennaedo Balloo
The ASOC Senate held their regular meeting last Tuesday, March 31. Dean of Students Barbara Avery and Dean of Students Johnathan O’Brien were also present for the Senate meeting to discuss potential plans for campus space development. Specifically discussed were plans for turning the Green Family Dining room on Branca Patio into a student-run space.
“We’ve been talking to a lot of administrators, but we really want students to have primary input,” Avery said. The space, it was suggested, would be entirely student managed and run, in addition to becoming financially self-sustaining. “I think it’s definitely going to be run by students, and I think the profits should go back into the facility. . . I’ve heard coffee shop, pub night, I’ve definitely heard student-managed . . . they like the name “green” and think it should be tied to sustainability in terms of cups and papers used and so forth, ” Avery said.
Avery informed the Senate that a consultant would be brought in to see what kinds of possibilities the space in Green Dining Room held. Operating hours, initial design and items sold would be among the decisions student managers could dictate according to Avery. The facilities have an ice machine, and space for preparation of simple foodstuffs such as sandwiches.
Senior Class Senator Allison Dempsey (senior) voiced some trepidation and asked for specifics on the budgeting before plans should be made. “Where is the budget for this? Because we tried to do this with the Cooler and I’m just a bit disheartened by how that turned out . . . is there a limit to what we can do?” Dempsey said.
To answer the concerns raised by Dempsey, Assistant Dean of Students Tamara Rice said, “Yes, we’re putting in the proposal for immediate funding for start-up money, but we’re also including a request for recurring funding because we realize that we can’t just start something and let it die.”
Ideas for the space suggested by Avery and O’Brien included creating a specialty coffee space that could vend unique and specialty coffees and drinks, as well as various foods and small grill items. Another idea that Avery suggested was using the space to potentially host on-campus Pub Nights.
While no definitive plans or courses were set at the meeting, Dempsey made a suggestion. “The last thing we need is a room that has couches. We have so much dorm space, we have the cooler, all we have are rooms with couches. I really think the students want something that has food, or alcohol, or even TVs,” Dempsey said. The proposal and budget request for financing of the Green Dining room project was due Friday, April 5 according to Avery.
Students interested in having a voice in the plans for the Green Family Dining Room, or interested in staffing the space should contact their ASOC Senator as the most likely source of information. Current plans aim to have the space open and running in time for Frosh orientation in August of this year.
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